The full-scale war in Ukraine, unleashed by Russia’s cynical armed aggression on 24 February 2022, has been going on for almost three months. The cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol, together home to 2 million people, have almost been wiped off the face of the earth. The entire world has seen the horrific footage of the Russian occupiers’ atrocities in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv, and Russia continues its offensive in Donbas and southern Ukraine. According to the UN, as of 11 May, more than 3,500 civilians, including 238 children, have been killed in Ukraine, with over 3,700 more wounded. The actual figures are much higher, as there is no information from Russian-occupied territories and cities where intense fighting continues.
Today, the whole world admires the courage and bravery of the Ukrainian army and the people who have joined forces to resist Russian aggression. Ukrainian tech companies and startups have not been spared from the war either. Many of their teams have joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Territorial Defence Units, or the Cyber Army. Employees are committing their time to helping the army financially or through media, volunteering, making their services free for users and creating digital projects that bring together those willing to help and those in need.
At the same time, tech companies are trying to adapt to the new conditions and are making great efforts to keep their business running. 2021 was a record year for Ukrainian startups – they attracted more than $1.68bn. The war temporarily reversed the subsequent upswing. Today, 99% of Ukrainian startups need financial support, according to a March survey by the Ukrainian Startup Foundation (USF). 28% have ceased operations, while 47% work partially or almost fully remotely. At the same time, 71% of startups remain in Ukraine, while only 1% have left the country entirely.
We have collected reliable information on how you can support Ukrainian startups and tech companies during the war.
Invest your money and become a mentor
SaveUAStartups is a platform for matching proposals from partners and startups that need support. The initiative was launched by the Ukrainian Startup Fund. Those wanting to become a mentor may do so, they can support by sharing their experience with Ukrainian startups. And if you are a partner or a sponsor, you can also donate money to support Ukraine during the war. You can do all of this here
UAFounders platform was launched to help Ukrainian startups where they can publish fundraising requests, find new markets, or hire talent. European companies can answer their Ukrainian colleagues or post offers of help. In the future, the platform will add a partner search section for investors willing to invest in Ukrainian startups and help in the country’s economic recovery. You can fill in the application form to join the initiative: here.
Invest your time and experience
The IT Army of Ukraine is a community of Ukrainian tech specialists created by the Ministry of Digital Transformation initiative. The cyber army includes large tech companies, cyber volunteers, individual tech specialists, and people who have just entered the field. The community already numbers more than 270,000 people. The IT Army is not only defending Ukrainian cyberspace but also going on a counter-offensive. Hundreds of cyber-attacks hacked databases and “put down” websites of Russian government agencies and critical businesses. It is possible to join the IT army via their Telegram group; every day new tasks and targets are posted to be attacked.
Creative Sich is an open community that collaborates with creative industry professionals to fight on the information front. Participants create posters, edit videos, write texts, create memes, help posts rise in social media algorithms, and perform other tasks. Anyone can join and create content. The project organisers want to unite 10,000 participants into a single community. The initiator was an award-winning Ukrainian creative agency Banda; they coordinated their efforts with the Office of President Zelenskiy and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. You can join via the project’s Telegram channel, tasks for platform members will be published there.
Support volunteers from tech companies
Kharkiv IT Cluster is a community of more than 100 tech companies, local authorities, and higher education institutions in Kharkiv, Eastern Ukraine. They continue to work in times of war and bring together over 2000 volunteers. They help civilians, medics, police, communal workers, and defenders. Every day volunteers provide more than 7 thousand residents of the Kharkiv region with food and medicine. Support Kharkiv volunteers and the IT4Life project here.
Ukraine’s tech companies established The KOLO Army Relief Fund and launched a regular subscription option. Subscription costs nearly 187,5 euros a month, i.e., 6,25 euros a day and 100% of the money from the subscriptions will go to help the army. Each subscriber gets access to the closed community “KOLO Friends,” where the team of the foundation posts photos of those receiving aid. To subscribe, visit this website.
Open Eyes Foundation is a charity organisation of SoftServe, Inc., Lviv-founded big tech company specialising in consultancy services and software development. With the outbreak of war, SoftServe evacuated 1,500 people from Kyiv, Dnipro and other cities to the western regions. Some employees enlisted in territory defence, while others work on projects for customers. Requests for assistance from civilians, the army and medics are handled by SoftServe’s Open Eyes Foundation. Donations via Paypal here.
How else to support Ukrainians
- Donate via United24 a fundraising platform founded by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with the aim of uniting people from all over the world in their desire to help Ukraine. It allows you to donate in one click from any country. Funds are distributed in three ways: Defense and Mine Action, Humanitarian and Medical Aid and Rebuilding Ukraine.
- Donate to the army via Come back alive Foundation – one of the largest charitable foundations helping the Ukrainian military – here or via SOS Army Community Initiative which raises money for drones here.
- Donate to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Red Cross Society in Ukraine to help healthcare institutions.
- Donate to the Charity Foundation “Tabletochki” which has been helping Ukrainian children with cancer for 11 years. In times of war, they need help like never before.
You can even donate with cryptocurrency through the wallets verified by the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation:
BTC – 357a3So9CbsNfBBgFYACGvxxS6tMaDoa1P
ETH and USDT (erc20) – 0x165CD37b4C644C2921454429E7F9358d18A45e14
TRX and USDT (trc20) – TEFccmfQ38cZS1DTZVhsxKVDckA8Y6VfCy
DOT – 1x8aa2N2Ar9SQweJv9vsuZn3WYDHu7gMQu1RePjZuBe33Hv
SOL address: 66pJhhESDjdeBBDdkKmxYYd7q6GUggYPWjxpMKNX39KV
Are you a European startup and helping Ukraine? Tell us about it via Twitter so that we can write about you in our next blog.
