Over the past two years, UK–Ukraine TechBridge has become one of the most tangible international programmes connecting Ukrainian technology companies with global capital, markets, and expertise.
Launched in 2023, the initiative is a strategic partnership between the UK Government, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Its goal is pragmatic: to keep Ukraine’s tech sector integrated into international ecosystems despite the constraints of full-scale war — and to turn that integration into measurable economic outcomes.
The programme’s investment accelerator has supported 39 Ukrainian startups. Through structured acceleration, direct exposure to more than 20 international venture funds, and over 400 hours of mentorship, participating teams collectively raised more than $14 million in investment.
Several companies have already translated this support into concrete market expansion. Startups such as Cases, Deus Robotics, Aspichi, and Spendbase have entered or scaled their presence in the UK market, securing customers and partnerships beyond Ukraine.
UK–Ukraine TechBridge also focused on direct access to global technology platforms. Ukrainian founders presented their products at London Tech Week in both 2024 and 2025, moving from ad-hoc exposure to sustained engagement with British investors, corporations, and innovation networks.
This shift — from isolated international appearances to repeat participation — has helped position Ukrainian startups as long-term players rather than one-off wartime cases.
Security, demining, and applied innovation
Beyond commercial technology, the programme placed a specific emphasis on security-related innovation. In cooperation with Sikorsky Challenge, UK–Ukraine TechBridge supported solutions in defence tech and humanitarian demining, directing funding to technologies designed to save lives and accelerate the clearance of contaminated land.
These efforts reflect a broader understanding of innovation under war conditions: technology development is closely tied to national safety, resilience, and recovery.
Skills and human capital
UK–Ukraine TechBridge also functions as an education hub. More than 1,200 Ukrainians have completed free training programmes in digital and entrepreneurial skills, delivered by global technology leaders including Cisco, Salesforce, Oracle, and AWS.
This focus on skills development addresses long-term competitiveness — not only supporting current startups, but strengthening the workforce that will shape Ukraine’s post-war economy.
The programme operates across four pillars: skills, innovation, trade, and investment, with priority sectors including demining, cybersecurity, AI, health tech, agritech, and edtech.
Implemented within the framework of the UK–Ukraine 100-Year Partnership, TechBridge demonstrates how international cooperation can move beyond declarations — producing capital inflows, market entry, and institutional links that persist under pressure.
After two years, UK–Ukraine TechBridge stands as a working model of how wartime resilience can translate into economic opportunity — for startups, investors, and both national ecosystems involved.
