The first season of UME UP has successfully concluded
We are pleased to announce the completion of the first season of UME UP | Startup Experience’24, an educational program launched to strengthen both theoretical and practical expertise among Ukrainian startups.
The program was made possible through the collaboration of R&D Center WINSTARS.AI, the Ukrainian Startup Fund, and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The program ran over the course of a year and brought together more than 100 registered startups, who participated in a series of open sessions, practical consultations, and direct conversations with leading entrepreneurs. Throughout the season, 16 Ukrainian founders and company leaders took part as guest experts, sharing their knowledge, experience, and real-world cases with the participants.
From the outset, UME UP was more than just an educational initiative — it was a strategic response to the needs of a growing ecosystem. As noted by one of the program's initiators:
“Our goal with UME UP was to create an environment where Ukrainian founders could access not only knowledge, but also real connections and practical insights from those who’ve already built global businesses. In the current context, supporting early-stage innovation is more than important — it’s critical for the future resilience of our economy.”
— Dmitry Sofyna, Co-founder & CEO at WINSTARS.AI, Member of the Committee for the Development of Artificial Intelligence
What made this season especially meaningful was that UME UP delivered not only theoretical value, but also practical, ongoing support. The experts involved remained open to collaboration beyond the live sessions — many of them supported startup initiatives, shared direct contacts, offered new partnership opportunities, and even launched their own support formats for participating teams.
During the program, we explored core topics relevant to startup development and innovation, including: — investment readiness and fundraising; — scaling and international expansion; — AI implementation in business; — team leadership and internal management; — and other hands-on challenges faced by early-stage teams.
“The UME UP | Startup Experience ’24 program brought together over a hundred startup teams and provided them not only with knowledge, but also with real tools and valuable partnerships to support their growth. What made this format especially valuable was the openness of the speakers and their willingness to support startups not just during the sessions, but far beyond. This is exactly the kind of practical support that helps young companies overcome challenges and move confidently toward global markets.”
— Evelina Holovanova, Program Coordinator at the Ukrainian Startup Fund
We’re deeply grateful to all the incredible speakers — this season would not have happened without you: Valery Krasovsky (Sigma Software), Vadim Rogovskiy (3DLOOK), Sergii Shakalov (Kness), Pavlo Shabalin (Marvel Fusion), Max Lysak (Mate academy), Igor Gnatovsky (LetyShops), Yuriy Zaremba (AiSDR), Vitalii Diatlenko (Uklon), Yaroslav Boiko (Reface), Dmitri Lisitski (Influ2), Daniel Tonkopi (Delfast), Bohdan Hnatkovskii (Jome), Bohdan Kruhlyk (FRENDT), Mariana Tataryn (CPA), Kirill Goncharuk (CheckEye), and Roman Prokofyev (Jooble). Thank you for your honesty, openness, and willingness to share what truly matters to the ecosystem.
