The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, together with Sigma Software, is developing the country’s innovative potential, which meets the ambitions of visionary entrepreneurs, and continues to hold an IT startup competition to help the startup ecosystem grow and achieve even more significant results in the future.
On October 9, 2023, Sigma Software Group launches UNICORN, a competition for startups from Ukraine and the EU. The competition is structured to take startups through different stages and has an intensive two-week program to maintain dynamic interaction.
The competition will take place in a hybrid format. It will include educational webinars, networking events and numerous pitches. Participants will be able to network with influential investors and establish valuable partnerships during online sessions and offline events in Kyiv and Warsaw.
The IT startup competition has been held since 2014 under the name IT_Eureka. During this time, more than 900 creative projects were received, 2200+ startups took part in the competition, and also had the opportunity to receive advice and knowledge from leading industry experts. Every year, the IT_Eureka competition gathered more and more bright ideas and incredible solutions from Ukrainian youth.
This year it will be held under a new name – Unicorn. During the competition, participants will learn the basics of building a successful business project, prepare to participate in world-famous acceleration programs, and receive individual coaching and practical advice from mentors.
Competition timeline and format:
October 9 – November 1 – accepting applications from participants. Registration via link.
November 6 – 17 – educational intensive from partners and organizers with the participation of top representatives of the European IT industry, founders of star startups, partners of international venture funds (workshops will be held online).
November 24 – crash test with the participation of jury members (will take place online).
November 7 – 24 – networking events between participants, organizers, partners and mentors.
December 1 – final demo pitching and announcement of the winners.
The organizers of the competition are Sigma Software Group, the business incubator Sigma Software Labs and the educational wing of Sigma Software University in co-organization with the Ukrainian Startup Fund.
Application Criteria
- Startups from Ukraine and the EU are invited to participate;
- The startup must attract no more than 500 thousand euros of investment;
- Industry advantage, but preference is given to B2B startups in the fields of AdTech, AI, AR/VR, aviation, automotive, BigData, Blockchain, CyberSec, EdTech, FinTech and machine learning.
More detailed information about the competition can be found at the link.