Pavlo Kartashov: “We support every national startup that has a chance to succeed, and provide impetus to the development of the Ukrainian startup ecosystem”
On the 29th of September, Pavlo Kartashov, Director of the Ukrainian Startup Fund, took part in Access2Finance , the First All-Ukrainian Conference on the access to finance for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, where he spoke about current capacities of supporting innovative SMEs in Ukraine.
During his speech, the director of the USF accented that today there are many opportunities for business development, but they are often not used by entrepreneurs for various reasons, including lack of awareness, for example about public loan programs or existing grants, donor support, etc. Also, businesses always have the opportunity to present their ideas on the international scene, taking part in world exhibitions and events.
“The state stimulates the exhibition activities of companies and supports participation in such events, in particular, through the Ukrainian Startup Fund. In particular, we have recently introduced a new tool for non-repayable financial support for startups in the form of innovative promo and prize vouchers to be used for various purposes of the startup. For example, we have already held two pitches and selected startups to participate in events such as the Web Summit 2021 in Lisbon, CES in Las Vegas. There also will be a selection of startups to participate in Expo2020 (Dubai)“, said Pavlo Kartashov.
“Our Fund works to give impetus to the development of the Ukrainian startup ecosystem, to finance promising young entrepreneurs in the early stages, and to help businesses get back on their feet. We support each national startup, which has a chance to succeed. Since the beginning of the Fund’s activity, we have received more than three thousand applications from startups, conducted more than 30 pitches. More than 200 startups have already received grants totaling more than $ 6 million”, told Pavlo Kartashov.
