The Ukrainian Startup Fund has selected the top 15 Ukrainian startups for the first time. These companies have made a significant contribution to the development of the startup ecosystem, continue to grow, and create innovative developments even in the conditions of war.
The winners of the USF Startup Awards 2023 are:
Startup of the Year — S.Lab — Sustainable Laboratory;
Newcomer of the Year — Numo ADHD;
People's Choice — Uspacy;
Breakthrough of the Year — Releaf PAPER & BAGS;
Best Female-Founded Startup — Fuelfinance;
Best Dual-Use Startup — Himera;
Best Deep Tech Startup — Haiqu;
Founder of the Year — ОлекÑандр Соболенко (Releaf Paper);
Accelerator | Incubator of the Year — Startup Wise Guys;
Investor of the Year — SID Venture Partners;
Coworking | Space of the Year — Lift99 Kyiv Hub;
BSO of the Year — USAID;
Union of the Year — Techosystem;
Volunteer of the Year — Esper Bionics.
The Startup of the Year is S.lab, which produces environmentally friendly packaging from plant-based components as an alternative to styrofoam. This material decomposes in the soil within a month and a half and can completely replace plastic. In 2023, S.lab won at IT Arena and received $10,000 in investments. It's impressive that Ukrainians are creating valuable innovations for the world despite the ongoing conflict!
Over the past 4 years, the Ukrainian Startup Fund has become a place that unites all players in the ecosystem. More than 380 startups have received $8.7 million for development and scaling. They have initiated collaborations with global institutions, from Amazon to Payoneer. Additionally, the Fund has launched the defense-tech cluster Brave1 to enhance the country's defense capabilities.
