Startups in Ukraine continue to build | TechCrunch

When edtech Preply Become a unicorn Earlier this year, employees in its office in Kiev Celebrate with cake — Because that’s what you do, even in the middle of a war.

In the four years since Russia’s all-out invasion of their country, Ukrainian startups have done more than just survive: they are still building and growing. Preply, for example, will use the proceeds from its latest round to Employing about 100 engineers Across its global teams – including in Ukraine, where a third of its engineering staff is based.

Preply is one example among many. Defense technology It’s gotten the most attentionEspecially with regard to the speed with which innovations reach the battlefield. But the same engineering talent and creativity are beginning to emerge as commonalities across sectors that also contribute to strengthening Ukraine.

With Ukraine facing a much bigger attacker, the country He takes a gloomy look From attempts to escape from mobilization. However, startups can be granted special status that protects key employees from conscription if they are deemed to be supporting the country – and Search for He’s one of them, its founder, Viktor Samoilenko, told TechCrunch.

Originally created in the United States in 2021, the company was completely transformed when the war began. Now known as Luminify, Mixed reality platform for mental health care This helped Ukrainians overcome the traumas of war. The startup collaborates directly with military units as well as dozens of clinics that provide mental health support to the population.

There are soldiers and veterans, bereaved families, and millions who have moved to western Ukraine or abroad. For those who have always lived in Kiev, the psychological toll is no less terrible.

“Everyone is suffering,” Samoilenko said. “My daughter has celebrated many Christmases and New Years underground, so the impact has been huge.”

In a winter marked by almost daily attacks on the power grid, the Ukrainian capital has not been spared. According to Natalie Trubnikova, marketing director at a Kiev-based IT consulting company JART SolutionsLocal residents adapted to the power outages with high-capacity power banks, gasoline stoves, and diesel generators. But rising costs mean they still have to use these things sparingly, often keeping internal temperatures to a strict minimum.

These harsh conditions have turned offices into shelters from the cold.

“Our office has different generators, so we have electricity and internet, and the office is warm and open 24/7, so any Ukrainian team member can come to the office at any time,” Preply CEO Kirill Begay told TechCrunch last month.

For small startups, coworking spaces have also become a safe haven. LIFT99 Kyiv Huba place that is six years old He suffered damage After a Russian strike last August, it has seen its membership numbers rise since reopening two months ago, said sales and partnerships manager Lada Samarska. books He is linkedin.

Despite the missile strikes, Kyiv is far enough from the front line to remain the main hub for startups in Ukraine, but it’s not the only one. Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, has attracted many displaced Ukrainians, including technology workers. Lim stationA Renovated tram depot The creative space turned out to be a symbol of its growing ecosystem, which also benefited from its proximity to the Polish border.

The number of foreign visitors has been fewer, but it is still possible to reach Lviv by train, where the IT Arena 2025 technology conference is located. Attracted 6,450 participants From more than 40 countries to the city. Defense technology had its own platform, but the event also showed support for a wide range of startups. Despite the war, venture capital firms remain active in the country, including… 1991, Flyer One Venturesand Spruce.

Despite the long journey, Ukrainians still make the trip to attend technology conferences abroad as well. At Techarena in Stockholm earlier this month, members of A Ukrainian delegation He told TechCrunch that they were tired and waiting for spring. But before saying goodbye, they started listing Unicorns of Ukraine — Because that’s what you do, even in the middle of a war.