The Ukrainian Startup Fund (UFS) and Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) are pleased to announce the launch of a Grant program to support Ukrainian technology companies.
The initiative is aimed at the active development of innovation, economic strengthening of the country and increasing the global competitiveness of Ukrainian projects. As part of the program, it is planned to allocate a total amount of 2.5 million US dollars in support of promising Ukrainian companies at the pre-seed and seed stages.
In recent years, Ukraine has gained a foothold in the international arena as a country with enormous innovative potential. Even in conditions of war, Ukraine took 55th place in the Global Innovation Index ranking in 2023, which is 3 positions higher than last year’s result.
UFS from WNISEF strive to ensure that the number of successful Ukrainian startups constantly grows, gaining international recognition, so they jointly launched a Grant Program. The Ukrainian Startup Fund will take responsibility for managing and implementing the initiative, while the Western NIS Enterprise Fund will act as a financial partner, providing the necessary resources for the successful implementation of the project.
The program will allow you to receive a grant of up to $25,000 for projects at the Pre-seed stage and up to $50,000 for projects at the Seed stage. At one time, such startups as Esper Bionics, Upswot, Finmap, Zeely, Mate Academy, Harmix took advantage of a similar opportunity, and today these companies are known all over the world.
It is approximately planned to finance 74 teams, of which:
- at the pre-seed stage with a total amount of up to $25,000 – 48;
- at the seed stage with a total amount of up to $50,000 – 26.
Program implementation period: until December 31, 2025.
Applicants who meet the following criteria in total are allowed to participate in the Grant Program:
- Business entities registered in accordance with the procedure established by law, carrying out activities aimed at making a profit and achieving a social effect.
- No investments, grants or government benefits exceeding US$500,000 equivalent over the entire period of activity.
- Total income does not exceed US$500,000 equivalent as of the date of application for the most recent year of activity.
- The applicant is not actually located and does not operate in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation, and is also not included in the sanctions list and is not the subject of special restrictions (sanctions) in accordance with the laws of Ukraine.
The following are not allowed to participate:
- Projects funded under the BRAVE1 Grant programs and the “Seeds of Bravery” initiative from the European Innovation Council.
- Applicants producing/creating equipment, materials, products, goods and/or other military products.
A complete list of requirements and application procedure are available here.
❗️ Applications are submitted on an ongoing basis.