17 veteran businesses will receive grants from FUIB based on the results of the second season of the educational grant program «Live towards»

The final of the second season of the educational and grant program for the development of veteran business «Live towards», initiated by the FUIB bank within the framework of the platform for the integration of veterans and implemented in partnership with the Future Development Agency and KSE Graduate Business School, took place in Kyiv. 17 veteran businesses received grants from 500,000 to 1,000,000 hryvnias for opening or developing their own business.

Over the course of two days, teams of veterans, service members, and their family members presented their business ideas to the jury, proving that veteran entrepreneurship is about resilience, faith, and discipline. The best among them received grants from 500,000 to 1,000,000 hryvnias to grow their businesses or start from scratch..

“The pitching of the second season of the educational and grant program brings new opportunities for those who have defended Ukraine. Last year, we supported 14 teams and their business plans, and today we are sincerely proud of every operating business. This year, we received even more applications — over 430, with 35 teams presenting their ideas. Each of them is already a winner, having completed business training and developed a growth plan. We are grateful to everyone present for their endurance and strength of spirit. The FUIB team and our partners will continue to stand by them — to support, and to live towards,”- said Tetiana Kolesnyk, Head of Social Projects at FUIB.

The first day of pitching brought together veteran startups from aspiring entrepreneurs. Their ideas varied — from book publishing to adaptive prosthetic covers. The winners who received 500,000-hryvnia grants were:

• JERKON — a veteran business producing jerky and meat snacks;
• Timelapse —creators of personalized prosthetic covers;
• Solodki Tantsi  — a boutique of gift sweets;
• Mriielov — a book publishing house;
• Laser CS — mobile laser surface cleaning.

Among the newcomers, there were also those who received 1,000,000 hryvnias to implement their projects:

• EcoFlamma —production of environmentally friendly fuel briquettes;
• VinNut — walnut processing.

The second day brought together experienced entrepreneurs — those who already have a business and aim to expand. The participants represented various sectors, including technology, tourism, education, and agriculture.

The winners who received 500,000-hryvnia grants were:

• Pan Kokos — a workshop for toys and gifts;
• DronAgro  — a mobile service for farmers and a drone operator school.

Another 8 businesses received 1,000,000-hryvnia grants:

• Happy Kids — a children’s health and rehabilitation center;
• Strokati Yenoty  — children’s camps;
• Marcbook — a publishing house for multi-format books;
• Pro Halushky — the first Poltava-style street food project;
• TM “Suchasni Systemy Kriplen”  — production of specialized metal fasteners;
• Neborak — an eco-farm cultivating crayfish in a controlled environment;
• Bilyi Bison — a campsite on the Dniester River, part of the TURE team network;
• Pro Dim — construction of inclusive housing.

At this stage, 17 winners out of 20 possible were selected. To determine the remaining three teams, the program organizers decided to hold an additional round of online presentations for the highest-scoring teams that did not make the final list. The results of this additional selection will be announced no later than November 10.

The winners were chosen by a jury of experts from various business fields:

• Ihor Arbatov, Head of the Board, Future Development Agency
• Viktor Kharkovets, Director of the Small Business Microcredit Department, PUMB
• Valentyna Sakhno, Head of KSE Graduate Business School
• Tetiana Izmailova, Head of the Veterans’ Office, KSE
• Mykhailo Bohatyr, CEO of ML Dila
• Oleksa Koba, winner of the 1st season of the program, founder of the “Korovovk” workshop
• Oleksandr Matiash, founder of the veteran business “Regata Club”
• Ali Chabuk, Project Coordinator, International Organization for Migration

The event was moderated by:

• Viktoriia Harkusha, Head of the Veterans Integration Platform “Live towards”;
• Maksym Yermokhin, officer, veteran, participant of the Invictus Games and Warrior Games, coach and mentor.

Ahead for all participants is a new stage — mentorship support from program curators, and the launch and scaling of their businesses. Very soon, the “Live towards” platform will announce the start of applications for the third season of the program, giving even more veterans, service members, and their families an opportunity to take an important step toward launching or expanding their own ventures.

You can learn more about this year’s winners, support their businesses, and follow the latest updates on the platform via the “Live towards” Telegram channel. Join us and take steps toward one another together!