The first Ukrainian Startups Roadshow was held in London on 23-25 July 2015. Ten innovative and creative technology projects – startups and young companies were presented to the UK business and investment community. An exciting programme developed by the Ukrainian Startup Hub gained support of the tech-market leaders which hosted the roadshow sessions – Bloomberg, Google Campus and Deloitte Digital.
Despite the developments in the Eastern corner of Ukraine, the startup market remains one of the most attractive spheres for investment in Ukraine. According to the report released by the Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association it is expected that over $100 million will be invested into the Ukrainian technology startups by the end of 2015. Commenting on the value of the roadshow for investors and businesses in the UK, Alexander Shelkovnikov, Senior Manager – Investments, Deloitte said: “Ukraine is a great startup country that has a huge potential currently not utilised. And investors need more information on what’s happening there and what projects are appearing. This will open their eyes and make them visit the country more often”.
Innovative ideas presented in London ranged in spheres and sizes: BlockVerify, PopTop, QuickBlox, MinglVision, Youteam, M2E Pro, Zen Assets, EnableTalk, Ecoisme, Planedu, available for viewing on a Bloomberg platform. Some of these startups are already active on the UK market and some proved to be potentially attractive for investment. For example:
- EnableTalk works on a ‘magic’ glove that will be able to read the sign language and transform it into voice over via the mobile phone. Affordable in price (around $200) it will remove the boundaries in communication with mute people.
- Ecoisme created a device that can track activity of all electronic devices in the house and report via the owner’s mobile phone on what’s working and using energy. This will help to decrease the amount of electricity used by households by up to 15%. It will also help those who constantly forget to switch off electric devices.
The organiser of this Roadshow in London, Ukrainian Startup Hub is planning to bring more of the Ukrainian startups to London to pitch for investments, share experiences, and learn from the successful businesses in the UK.