UASEEDs at the main tech event in Eastern Europe – IT Arena 2024 results
On 27-29 September, Lviv hosted the key IT event in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, bringing together more than 5,000 participants from over 30 countries to share experiences and discuss the latest IT trends.
The Seeds of Bravery project was represented by a stand where the consortium members – Ukrainian Startup Fund, YEP Incubator, Impact Hub Stockholm, Techosystem, Vacuum Deep Tech Acceleration, Luxinnovation and Innov8 – presented the current financial and non-financial opportunities of the project. In addition, the consortium members had the opportunity to talk to startups that are directly involved in UASEEDs activities: Deep Tech Acceleration, matchmaking activities, etc.
“This was my first time in the IT Arena and I am so sure it will not be the last.
I enjoyed the startup competition, the exhibition area with the startups and the participation with our partners on stage to bring the Seeds of Bravery funding offer to the spotlight.
At FundingBox we felt privileged to get the support from Oleksandr Borniakov and Iliana Ivanova as we reached our first 100 grants winners.
The Lviv city and their startup community put up an event that can clearly compete with the best startup events both in CEE and in the rest of the world.” – informed Sanyu Karani, co-founder of Marketplaces, Executive Chairman of FundingBox.
Kateryna Dehtyar, Program Director, Vacuum Deep Tech Accelerator added “This year, IT Arena gathered a record number of participants and dozens of global guests. They all witnessed the growth of the Ukrainian ecosystem and the opportunities it creates for entrepreneurs.
We are partners of the Seeds of Bravery and lead the deep tech direction of the project. Several events were dedicated to the development of Ukrainian deep tech, including an interview with Sanyu Karani and the Seeds of Bravery press conference.
The development of deep tech in Ukraine is a strategic move. Supporting products in their growth to global markets is a win-win for all parties involved”.
IT Arena was also memorable for its fascinating panel discussions and meetups in the city’s most prominent locations! We cannot but mention a number of events organised by the UASEEDs consortium team:
a press conference on the results of the Seeds of Bravery project’s annual activities, which was attended by:
- Oleksandr Borniakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine;
- Sanyu Karani, co-founder of Marketplaces, executive chairman of FundingBox;
- Inna Perepelytsia, Senior Advisor at Luxinnovation;
- Henric Hansson, Impact Assessment at Impact Hub Stockholm.
Welcoming remarks were made by:
- Ilyana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, European Commission;
- Carolina Ferreira da Silva, Plug and Play Tech Centre Senior Partner Success Associate.
At the press conference, participants discussed the impact of Seeds of Bravery on the Ukrainian ecosystem, the key results of the project’s year of operation, and met the consortium members present at the event.
a meetup on ‘Prospects for cooperation and scaling of Ukrainian innovations to the European market: opportunities from the Seeds of Bravery project’, which gathered about 50 participants.
The speakers of the meetup were:
- Sanyu Karani, co-founder of Marketplaces, Executive Chairman of FundingBox;
- Yana Paladiieva, Team Lead of the USF Seeds of Bravery project;
- Alexandra Sandberg, Project Manager at Impact Hub Stockholm;
- Kateryna Hrechko – CEO at Techosystem;
- Oksana Krykun, Head of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Innov8;
- Daniil Lubkin, co-founder and COO of Beholder;
- Nataliia Limonova, founder of the Global Innovation Online School (GIOS).
The key issues for discussion at the meetup were:
- challenges to the integration of Ukrainian innovations into the European market;
- the role of the Seeds of Bravery project on the way to scaling startups to foreign markets;
- how Ukrainian startups can contribute to the development of the European technology ecosystem.
Fireside Chat on deep tech chronicles: without loud headlines, with participation:
- Sanyu Karani, Co-founder of Marketplaces, Executive Chairman of FundingBox;
- Kateryna Degtyar, Programme Director at Vacuum Deep Tech Acceleration.
Inna Perepelytsya, Senior advisor, Luxinnovation, Luxembourg added: “Together with my colleague Olena Malchyk, we were delighted to represent Luxinnovation and UASEEDs at the Lviv IT Arena. We had the privilege to share how Luxembourg is already supporting Ukrainian startups and to engage with UASEEDs grantees in person. We were truly impressed by the resilience and eagerness to learn, demonstrated by Ukrainian innovators. A special thanks to the organisers of Lviv IT Arena for choosing the historic places including the remarkable Lviv Opera House as a venue, blending the city’s rich history with a forward-thinking environment for fostering innovation.”
“IT Arena 2024 was the first event in Ukraine where the project was presented on such a large scale. It is positive that most members of the consortium were able to join this three-day intensive and tell potential applicants about all the opportunities, especially non-financial ones, of UASEEDs. And there are more than 20 of them, by the way.”- shared Yana Paladiieva, Team Lead of USF Seeds of Bravery project
Funded by the European Union, under the European Innovation Council (EIC). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them. The UASEEDs project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme under grant agreement No 101104445.