“The war took us by surprise. We had been in Turin for a few weeks, but nothing made us suspect that Russia would soon unleash a large-scale offensive against our country. Many of my friends are now fighting on the war front. , others have returned from abroad to help support our economy. We try in every way to help Ukraine. ” Anastasiia Smyk, 25, is from Kiev. She is co-founder of Input Soft, a startup that deals with data analysis solutions for airports. Both the life of his company and that of his colleagues were turned upside down by the war. They worked on a software solution to optimize the use of airline human resources, a problem that erupted during the long months of the pandemic. They found solutions. And they worked.
The difficulties of doing business during a war
Techstars, among the most coveted acceleration programs in the world, selected them at the end of 2021 to become part of one of its business accelerators, that of Turin. And so they arrived in Italy on January 14th. With her, two other team members: Andrii Smyk25 years old, e Valentyn Zavadskyi, 23 years. All of Kiev. They returned to Ukraine on the 20th, shortly before the outbreak of the conflict.
“The rest of the team has always remained Ukraine. We try to continue working at full capacity, despite all possible difficulties at the moment. We are also trying to raise funds from investors to complete the development of our product,” says Smyk. “I am very proud of the fact that none of my acquaintances and departures have ever doubted whether or not we need to help the country or our armed forces. We are all doing what we can. I also collaborate with various associations. When I was in Ukraine I contributed. to the collection of weapons, ammunition and medicines for the army “.
Startup
“Italy will soon have dozens of successful startups. Now there are the right ingredients”
by Arcangelo Rociola
14 Maggio 2022
Give yourself rules, to continue working during the conflict
Lawyerd instead it is a startup of Kharkiv, among the cities most affected by Russian bombing. It offers a solution for the protection of intellectual property on the Internet, supported by blockchain technology. It has a team of guys who are all 21 years old. Carrying out a company in the startup phase asked its members to adopt a strategy, so as not to let the project sink. “We decided to increase the working hours from 8 to 12 in order to focus on product development.” To speak is Ihor Makushinskyco-founder of the company.
Then a promise among the members of the group: “Do not read the news all day, but do it only after work. Reading what was happening around us hour by hour overloaded us with emotions. Country was about growing the company and contributing to our economy. The war is bringing the Ukrainian economy back to 20 years ago. “
Ukraine has around 2,000 startups and is considered to be among the most promising innovation ecosystems in Europe. Over the years they have built a strong community, eager to bring the country to the level of other European countries. With good results.
<img src="https://www.repstatic.it/content/contenthub/img/2022/05/27/135945168-aba5796d-f3ff-4e8b-a36e-a7855d552f1d.jpg" alt="On the left, 21-year-old Ihor Makushinsky
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Lawyerd was also selected by Techstars Torino at the end of 2021, chosen because it considers “the best in the world to help startups grow”. Then came the war, which changed dreams and ambitions: “For us it was a matter of having to deal with something totally unexpected. After the outbreak of the conflict we had a phone call to decide what to do. The first thing we did. it was moving the group members who were in Ukraine from Kharkiv to a safer place in the central part of Ukraine. The second is that we decided on the rules on how to work, “Makushinsky reasons.
Communications with friends in Ukraine and the desire to rebuild
“We talk to others every day. To solve company problems, yes, but also many personal problems,” he adds. Makushinsky still decided to stay in Turin, while his own family has now fled to Germany, in a safe place. “They are shaken, upset. They had to leave everything and start over in a new country”, which is not at all simple. Of his team, 8 in all, almost all of them come from Kharkiv. The dream is to go home “and have a barbecue with my friends, my family”. But he knows it’s not possible now.
Continuing the activities is not easy. Both entrepreneurs today had to revise some plans. “Since the start of the war, we have reviewed our spending and changed our financial plan because we have lost all potential customers in Ukraine,” says Smyk. “We are now working with the same performance, but expenses have decreased. Furthermore, our only chance of survival as a startup is to enter the European market as quickly as possible, and that is what I am working on now from Turin.”
Return to Ukraine? “Yes, but I don’t know when. Only after our victory. There is no doubt that I will return to Ukraine and help my country in reconstruction”, concludes Smyk. And the desire to rebuild also passes through these new digital companies, which in the last ten years have contributed to the country’s economic growth, dreaming of making it modern and open to the world. And who today risk seeing their dreams canceled.