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The Washington Post: Inside Ukraine’s new start-up life: Hallways, closets, bunkers

Nearly three months into the war, the country’s tech community is trying to rebound within a conflict zone

On May 3, shortly after 8 p.m., Andrey Klen had a decision to make. Bombs had just dropped near his apartment in Lviv, Ukraine, but he had a conference call at 9 p.m. Klen was huddled, along with his dog, in his apartment hallway, trying to stay away from glass windows that could shatter.

As the clock struck 9, he decided to take the meeting.

Amid air raid sirens, flickering lights and family members texting to inquire whether he was safe, Klen — the founder of a technology start-up called Petcube that creates interactive cameras for pets — logged on and sped through the day’s entire agenda. After finishing, he scanned his phone trying to find out whether it was safe to take his dog outside for a much needed bathroom break before the 11 p.m. curfew.

“Unfortunately, that’s the new norm,” Klen said. “But it’s not like I’m a hero — we do this all the time.”

Nearly three months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country’s once booming tech community is trying to rebound back to life. As the war continues, tech founders and their employees have settled into new routines, working amid bombs, gunshots and air raid sirens. They build Power Points, take meetings and write emails and pitch decks from apartment hallways, bedroom closets and underground bunkers, trying to meet work deadlines regardless of the circumstances.

Most devote their off-hours to helping the country’s war effort in any way they can. Others, unsure when the conflict will end, are trying to resume normal life by resuscitating a once vibrant start-up ecosystem that has seen many flee.

“While the war is going on, you cannot persuade somebody to come back,” said Pavlo Kartashov, director of the Ukrainian Startup Fund. “But once it’s over, you have to have a very comfortable environment … for start-ups to come back.”

Read more via The Washington Post

 

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