For many early-stage startups, expansion into new markets often follows a predictable yet risky pattern: building in the home market first, then attempting to adapt for international growth. In practice, this strategy frequently results in significant time and capital expenditure with no guarantee of success.
To address this, Bridge to Scale — a 12-week equity-free accelerator by 1991 Accelerator & EBRD — was designed to equip a cohort of 15 Ukrainian-founded startups with the tools required to scale across the EU and secure their first funding rounds.
Tangible Milestones: Metrics of Readiness
The program provided over 261 hours of expert support and 175 individual mentoring sessions. Throughout the 12 weeks, the cohort collaborated with 17 global partner VC funds to refine market entry strategies and investment readiness.
Key results achieved by the end of the program include:
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MaiCall, an Ethical Voice AI for Loan Management & Collection, signed a term sheet for €25,000 in angel investments.
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Startups secured Enterprise LOIs and successfully launched pilots with new clients.
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Every participant defined a specific investment ask and developed investor-ready data rooms and pitch decks.
The program culminated on March 12 during a Demo Day in Warsaw, held as a special track of Venture Café’s Thursday Gathering, connecting founders with the broader European tech ecosystem.
Voices from the Cohort
The impact of the program is best described by those on the ground. Alina Golubieva, CEO & Founder of Karpatia Benefits, highlighted the value of the network:
“People are the biggest thing we took from the programme: a community of founders, mentors, and investors. We already implemented many tips from experts into everyday operations, scaling & growth. We met with investors, got some interest and a lot of insights from the questions they asked. One of the key takeaways from the programme was what we need to reach until we go into fundraising, and now we’re actively scaling and preparing for our fundraising round in Q3 of 2026”.
Viktor Gursky, CEO of 1991 Accelerator, emphasized the strategic shift for Ukrainian entrepreneurs:
“This is the first 1991 Accelerator’s programme for Ukrainian founders already in the EU, and it proves that the new wave of Ukrainian startups is already built for international markets from day one, rather than adapting later — which makes them investable earlier and fundamentally changes how global VCs can interact with Ukrainian early-stage startups”.
The Bridge to Scale Cohort
Below is a detailed look at the 15 Ukrainian-founded startups that completed the program:
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Actual Armor — A modular AI platform that detects, verifies, and neutralizes harmful narratives in real-time.
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Careerswift — AI-powered hiring platform automating interviews and analytics to help businesses cut costs.
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Convinco — AI-powered pitch coach that analyzes context and speech to provide instant feedback for founders and sales teams.
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FitNow — A mobile app connecting fitness and wellness studios on a single platform for seamless booking.
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GreatCatalog — A platform connecting furniture brands and designers through 3D and AR technologies.
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HYPERSHADOW OÜ — A white label AI-copilot builder for SaaS companies.
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Kadrowy — An HRM system designed for businesses with high staff turnover to simplify hiring and compliance.
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Karpatia Benefits — A SaaS marketplace enabling HR teams to launch customized benefit packages in days.
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MaiCall — A Voice AI platform for loan management using ML and behavioral scoring for ethical collections.
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Mentflo — An AI wellness platform that aggregates data from wearables like WHOOP and Garmin into one place.
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Object Control — AI-powered SaaS helping fintech and insurers accelerate digital transformation.
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SuoQ — An AI queue and customer journey platform reducing wait times by 20–50% via virtual queuing.
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Wild.Codes — An AI-powered platform for hiring vetted remote developers on a subscription basis.
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CloudBlocks — AI Agents for designing and deploying scalable and cost-efficient cloud architectures.
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MeGoElectric UA — Developers of an accessible EV platform for passenger and cargo use, focused on wheelchair-independent mobility.
Institutional Support and Future Outlook
The Bridge to Scale program is a testament to the ongoing momentum of 1991 Accelerator. Since 2022, 179 alumni startups have raised over $50 million. Currently, as the operator of the Google for Startups $10M Ukraine Support Fund II, the accelerator continues to bridge the gap between Ukrainian talent and global capital.
For European investors, this cohort represents a unique opportunity to tap into a wave of startups that are already operational within the EU, with established entities and ongoing fundraising rounds. The question now is not if these startups will scale, but how quickly the market will respond to their investment readiness.