Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem Achievements 2021: Kharkiv IT Cluster

Iryna Supruniuk

1721 posts

Communication Lead, TechUkraine

This was a defining year for Ukrainian tech, plenty of memorable moments: GitLab’s IPO, Grammarly became decacorn, 252 000 tech specialists in Ukraine, new VCs, media, tech educational institutions, global tech moguls hatched audacious deals.

TechUkraine initiated the project “Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem Achievements 2021,” where we share the stories of the prominent stakeholders of the sphere – tech giants, startups, clusters, funds, media, accelerators, celebrating the success of the year and discovering what lies ahead in 2022 and beyond.

Let’s deep dive into some of the most significant achievements-making developments of the year!

Kharkiv IT Cluster

KHARKIV IT RESEARCH 2021:

the regional industry includes over 510 service and product IT companies,
the number of IT specialists has exceeded 45,000.
In the span of the two pandemic years, the IT industry in Kharkiv has grown by 29%, and its total sales volume in 2021 is estimated at 1.5 billion USD, which is a +53% growth vs 2019.

What are the key achievements of 2021 (Top 3)?

big national impact thanks to the active involvement of Kharkiv IT Cluster in national groups for Diya city + IT education reforms
Kharkiv IT Cluster held the largest event for the IT business TOP-management “Kharkiv IT Research,” attended by more than 700 owners and C-level people.
Educational events and educational content from Kharkiv IT Cluster in 2021 covered more than 1 million people.

Which challenges were the most impactful during the year?

Organization of mass vaccination of the IT community, considering the preferences for the types of vaccines and comfortable conditions for the vaccination process. As of the end of 2021, Kharkiv IT Cluster launched an ongoing vaccination program for IT professionals, which has already covered more than 12 thousand people in 6 months.
Diya city initiative and coordination of the IT industry to preserve the “red lines” in tax and framework bills.
shortage of IT professionals and “red ocean” in terms of staff retention and recruitment by IT companies

How will Ukrainian tech be developing? Approach, projections, and perspectives for 2022:

the growth of the IT industry in 2022 will continue, with the lack of human resources
for sustainable growth, it will be is necessary to consolidate the efforts of the IT industry to implement joint projects to saturate the market with qualified and motivated IT, specialists
Some IT companies will become residents of Diya City. Therefore, the key focus will be on 2 points:
conditions of connection and operation of the mode Diya City
the comfort of the IT industry operations outside the regime

About Kharkiv IT Cluster

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATION KHARKIV INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CLUSTER — Kharkiv-based NGO since 2015 unites the leading IT companies, local authorities and higher education institutions to introduce comprehensive changes into IT ecosystem of the city.

The objectives of the project are to promote the city as the best location for Ukrainian and foreign IT companies and gradual transformation of Kharkiv into a national-scale IT center.

The mission of the Kharkiv IT Cluster is to develop a favorable environment for IT business in the Kharkiv region.