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TechUkraine: achievements, challenges, plans 2019-2020

Iryna Supruniuk
1721 posts
Communication Lead, TechUkraine

Here we are. Today TechUkraine is turning 8 months. A lot of been gained, as well as we had plenty of challenges on our way ( and still having it)

By this article we are sharing some results of our activities for 8 months.

TechUkraine Portal

Guide for the Ukraine Tech ecosystem, which includes a website, social media presence, and campaigns. The brand frames, unites and strengthens the whole ecosystem. 

Results

  • 4 000 followers in Social Media (Fb, Ln, Twitter)
  • 1000 Subscription base
  • 250 visitors/day
  • Сommunity of Changemakers

Challenges

  • Key priorities of the sphere (how to be more useful, sustainable, come up to expectations)
  • Involving the Ukrainian ecosystem players (give feedback, participate, provide content, criticize)
  • Attraction attention of the audience (international, Ukrainian)
  • Prioritization of importance of portal features (maps, event calendars, job boards)
  • English-only sources of information

Next Steps

  • consider strong collaborations in the very beginning
  • depth study of the references
  • compare carefully
  • always know local mentality
  • ask, ask, ask (within community)
  • respond quickly on requests
  • know your value for the partners
  • educate your Partners that English is a must

Startup in Residence program (STIR)

STiR is an incubation program for startups who have ideas for solving specific problems of municipalities. STiR selects talented entrepreneurial teams and assists them in the development of innovative products. It is successfully implemented in Amsterdam and San Francisco and now with the support of STiR Amsterdam is launched in Ukraine

Results

  • 2 cities 
  • 41 application 
  • 10 startups-participants 
  • 6 mentors 
  • 14 speakers 
  • 3 months

Challenges

  • Setting partnerships with the cities
  • Defining challenges from each city
  • Engaging startups to participate in the
  • program
  • Building cooperation between startups and city representatives

Next Steps

  • 1/3 of the acceleration program
  • Demo Day and selection of startups for piloting
  • Procurement process
  • Launching programs 2.0 and 3.0 in 2020
  • Add 4 more cities and 20 more startups & make cities the launching customers for at least 5 startups

TechUkraine Internationalization: International & National Network, Going Global initiatives

Create the first wave community of successful Ukrainian startups and  scale-ups to inspire, create role models, perspective and create international awareness of TechUkraine

Challenges

  • Making the initiative sustainable
  • Choosing the topics that are most suitable for startups
  • Adjusting the DutchBasecamp materials to the local context
  • Explaining people the value of this or that event
  • Getting startups more involved in coaching

Lessons

  • Value makes the initiative sustainable. Indicators of – perceived – value: feedback, readiness to pay, requests for more.
  • Research by TU shows that there top 5 destinations where Ukrainian tech companies want to scale up: bring international coaches from those countries
  • Culture Map has a reason behind it and in Ukraine, we need to make events super hands-on
  • Info partners matter! Getting more partners on board

National and International Network

Challenges

  • Market Analysis, strategy creation 
  • Finding out startups/scaleups founders needs regarding entering and growth in global markets. Interviews & survey
  • Data analysis and creation of initiatives, which will help to solve identified founders challenges, together with other TU initiatives

Lessons

  • sometimes you don’t need to create smth new, it’s better to enable and empower what is already existing. Examples: UTEW, Lift99, Startup Grind Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro
  • Don’t just make a boring survey for internal usage  – make useful content of it and share it with the community! 
  • Make quick wins instead of “heavy but perfect” projects. Co-creation is better than solo-creation. Work with the ecosystem as one team!
  • UTEW meetups “Going to the US market”, “How to get to Y Combinator” and “Going to the UK market” supported by TU. Co-organization of Surf Pitch Night at Web Summit. 

Results of Internalisation initiative May-December 2019

  • Report on scaling startups, a database of 127 founders 
  • Arranged 7 (independent) events for 1 000 attendees 
  • Supported 3 meetups and 5 conferences for 4 500 attendees
  • Co-organized  Ukrainian side event at Web Summit – Surf Pitch Night with 200 attendees, 21 startups
  • Launched Tech Global Ukrainians network in partnership with Global Ukrainians
  • Partnerships with Global Israeli Initiative, UTEW Tech Tribe, Lviv IT Arena, Netherlands embassy in Kyiv, USAID Competitive Program, IT Ukraine Association, Export Promotion Office, Sigma Software Labs 

General TechUkraine’team takeaways

Challenges

  • Forming the concept of who we are and what we do on the market – mission, structure of the organization, ways we attract financing;
  • Working with the team of superstars and managing relationships 
  • Managing connections between business and government
  • Working in a multicultural environment

Lessons

  • You never know till you try – you just need to make the first step and allow ourselves to make mistakes;
  • Attract the top talent, having the right skills;
  • There is always a risk to have somebody dissatisfied, you can’t be always good for everybody;
  • Communication is the key, always talk to your team to see where and how you can help and empower;
  • You need to grow circular;
  • Be aware of cultural differences, but don’t focus on them too much – it is about changing the status quo, not adapting to it. 

TechUkraine Changemakers

We launched TechUkraine ChangeMakers: a network of local and global tech Ukrainians – ecosystem builders, founders and top managers of tech companies, heads and leaders of Tech NGOs and respective communities, entrepreneurs with global vision and a wish to do impact, innovators, business leaders, policymakers and activists.
Become a part of the community – join our FB group here!

What’s next

  • Do things we love – with fun and joy, 
  • Become ambassadors of Dutch efficiency and humanity, a German organization, American business focus combined with Ukrainian fertile opportunities. 
  • Make Portal the place to visit to find out anything about UA Tech. Make Ukraine one of the sexiest Tech destinations for 2020.
  • Add 4 more cities and 20 more startups to our Startup-in-Residence programs and make cities launching customers for at least 5 startups of the program
  • Grow TechUkraine Changemakers Community in Ukraine to at least 100 top ecosystem builders and Global Tech Ukrainians network to 300 people worldwide to enforce local and global collaboration
  • Conduct unique extensive market research of the tech industry of Ukraine in order to create a solid base for further work by the government bodies and private stakeholders
  • Build country pavilions and side-events at the biggest global tech events
  • Attract support to all of that and more from donors, Government, ecosystem leaders, and private business
  • More initiatives to come

Let’s grow together!

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