On May 27, we were thrilled to join the annual hackathon hosted by our partner, 1991 Accelerator.

This event is a haven for those eager to deepen their knowledge and launch projects in a fast-paced, innovative environment. The top three hackathon teams earned spots in the prestigious Open Data Accelerator and competed for grants totaling UAH 5,800,000.

We couldn’t stay on the sidelines of this incredible event. Our CEO, Ivan, joined as a mentor for the teams, while our Senior UI/UX Designer, Khrystyna, led a lecture series where she dove into the practical side of prototyping, even building a prototype from scratch.

Participants gained hands-on experience, learning core principles and receiving additional materials to continue practicing on their own. The feedback from attendees and Khrystia’s session was fantastic, and we even sent small gifts to the most active participants as a thank-you for their enthusiasm.

A big thank you to the 1991 Accelerator team! We’re looking forward to more opportunities to connect and collaborate!

The Ukrainian Startup Fund plays a crucial role in supporting early-stage startups with essential resources for success. This year, our CEO, Ivan, became an expert with the fund, joining various initiatives as a judge, mentor, and advisor. Also Ivan consults newcomers on launching and scaling digital products in FinTech, HealthCare, and EdTech. I’m excited to see your innovative projects in the current USF programs.

Recently, Ivan was invited as a guest expert for Pitch Day, where he evaluated and guided early-stage startups. Here’s a closer look at how it went:

Discover the fund and explore the current opportunities for Ukrainian startups here.

If you didn’t already know, our CEO, Ivan Denysiuk, graduated from UCU Business School. So, when we were invited to join IdeasLab—the student accelerator created by UCU’s CfE Accelerator—it brought excitement and a bit of nostalgia.

IdeasLab is an 11-week, free accelerator program open to student teams from any university in Ukraine. It’s the country’s only university-based accelerator that offers student teams up to UAH 200,000 in funding to validate their ideas.

Throughout the program, students:

• Develop problem hypotheses
• Research the market
• Test value propositions and prototypes
• Create go-to-market strategies
• Learn the ins and outs of pitching and scaling

This year, IdeasLab received a record-breaking 152 applications, with 45 teams advancing to interviews and just 21 teams selected for the program.

Our CEO Ivan and Design Team Lead Oleh consulted with 8 teams. Ivan even took on a lead mentor role, preparing the Savvy startup team—which focuses on loyalty programs for restaurants—for Pitch Day II. After days of intensive sessions, refinements, and a polished pitch deck, Savvy earned a Top 5 spot in this year’s cohort and a UAH 60,000 grant to help grow their vision.

Since the official opening of the AceOn fall accelerator just around the corner, we are catching the last wave and are happy to share the story behind our partnership with AceOn.

It all started in late 2023, when our team set an ambitious global goal: to help build a global startup ecosystem. A central element of this mission was the formation of long-term strategic partnerships with accelerators, incubators, venture capital funds, etc.

That’s when AceOn, an accelerator program created by founders for founders, caught our attention. Created by experienced entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts from Accace in collaboration with ZAKA venture fund, AceOn has the perfect combination of experience and passion we were looking for.

This year we are proud to join their fall accelerator, which has already selected promising startups. Together, we are preparing to build MVPs, raise funding, and bring these projects to market.

We are grateful to Martina Mandakova and Petra Konarikova for sharing our vision and giving us the opportunity to be a part of such an exciting journey.Can’t wait to see what we create together!

In August this year, we had the chance to meet Liisa Jõerüüt and Uve Poom from Tenity. Fast forward a few weeks, and we joined the accelerator program for early-stage startups as mentors and speakers. Now we’re on the verge of launching the fall cohort and, we must admit, weʼre filled with both excitement and a sense of responsibility. But let’s start from the beginning.

Tenity is a leading global early-stage VC and innovation ecosystem for the future of finance and beyond. With over 250 alumni and a combined investment of over $370 million, they operate from London to Istanbul, from Zurich to Madrid, from Tallinn to Singapore, making them a real force in the startup world.

Curious to join or learn more about their programs? Follow the link and discover how you can be part of this exciting journey.

Product accelerator for early-stage startups Zade invites you to be part of shaping the new generation of Ukrainian startups by joining the LaunchKit for Veterans program.

LaunchKit for Veterans is a program aimed at quickly launching startups by veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war, helping them reintegrate and contributing to the growth of the Ukrainian economy.

Launch your own startup in just 30 days, receiving seed capital and the opportunity to attract investment. Benefit from the support of partners in Ukraine and abroad, as well as mentoring and expert sessions to help you move confidently towards startup success.

LaunchKit for Veterans is about building a digital product from the ground up while gaining all the necessary resources and skills for the product’s continued independent growth. Take just 3 simple steps to bring your startup vision to life. 

Please note that one of the main selection criteria is the participant’s motivation and willingness to actively engage throughout the entire program.

5-week sprint from building a clickable prototype to product-market validation and attracting investments.

• Delivery in 30 Days
• Validate Product-Market Fit
• Gather Early Customer Feedback 
• Minimize Budget Requirements
• Ensure Tech Feasibility and Product Roadmap Clarity
• Accelerate Development with Ongoing Post-Launch Support

Who can join? Veterans and their families.
Where? Online, Zoom/Google Meet platform
Registration is required via the link

Get an inside look at LaunchKit in action through our video with the British e-commerce startup FRNZY!

Ready to turn your ideas into reality? Let’s do it together!
Do you have any doubts or questions? Weʼll get in touch with you within a few minutes.

Zade team members joined the Plug and Play Tech Center as startup mentors for the fall accelerator cohort.

Plug and Play Tech Center is a leading innovation hub that aims to create a leading international platform for the startup ecosystem to thrive by connecting entrepreneurs, founders, industry experts, investors, and corporations. As an early-stage and seed investor, Plug and Play offers a top-notch network of successful entrepreneurs, strategic investors, and industry leaders.

Plug and Play has played a crucial role in the growth of market leaders like PayPal, Google, Dropbox, LendingClub, Zoosk, SoundHound, Credit Sesame, Skytree, and more than 400 other early-stage startups in its portfolio.

Our CEO, Ivan Denysyuk, and Board Member, Bettina Briz, will share their experience with early-stage startups throughout the accelerator program on startup launch, prototyping for startups, go-to-market strategy, product design and development, and more.

By the way, you can also take advantage of a free consultation!