In the third season of FUIB’s “Live towards” program, 318 applications were submitted by veteran entrepreneurs

FUIB, in partnership with the Future Development Agency and the KSE Graduate Business School, has completed the application intake for the third season of the educational grant program for veterans and military personnel who are looking to start or scale a business together with a family member, partner, or friend. A total of 318 teams expressed their interest in participating in the third season of the “Live towards” program.

Of these, 40 teams will receive practical knowledge and entrepreneurship guidance during the training, and up to 20 teams will be awarded grants ranging from UAH 500,000 to UAH 1 million for their own businesses. Thus, more than 16 teams are competing for each grant — the level of competition remains high even in the program’s third wave.

Who applied: beginners and experienced entrepreneurs

As before, the selection process will be conducted in two categories: startups and existing businesses.

Among the applicants:

• 154 beginners who want to start their own business;
• 164 entrepreneurs, most of whom have been working on the market for 2 to 5 years or longer.

This means that the program is equally appealing to those who are planning their first business and to those who have already tested a business idea and are now looking for resources to scale.

The teams consist of either a veteran (68.2%) or a currently serving member of the military (31.8%), along with a partner — a fellow service member or a civilian. It is also worth noting the strong engagement of women: 23 servicewomen applied for this season.

More than half of the applicants want to start a family business with their spouse, 9.7% with another family member, and 18.6% with a friend. This shows that veterans’ entrepreneurial initiatives are largely envisioned as joint projects within their closest circle — family and friends — rather than as individual ventures.

Applicant geography: Lviv and Kyiv lead the way

Applications came from 22 regions, mainly from the western and central regions.

Among the cities, the most questionnaires were submitted:

• Lviv – 55;
• Kyiv – 51;
• Vinnytsia – 17;
• Ivano-Frankivsk – 12;
• Lutsk – 9.

Among the 10 most active regions, Lviv (85) and Kyiv (70) lead in the number of applications, followed by Vinnytsia (28), Ivano-Frankivsk (26), Poltava (22), Kharkiv (18), Khmelnytskyi (16), Volyn (14), Odesa (13), and Cherkasy (12).

At the same time, the geography of applications shows that veterans and military personnel plan to develop businesses not only in the capital, but also in the cities where they lived before the war or where their families have relocated.

What businesses are of interest to participants?

For startup teams, the most attractive sector is services — ranging from local services to educational and creative projects.

For experienced entrepreneurs, production dominates: manufacturing goods, handicrafts, or other products that can be scaled with grant support. Trade ranks third in priority for both startups and established businesses.

Previous seasons have shown a similar trend: in the second season, 25.6% of participants planned to work in the service sector, 21.9% in production, and 8.4% in trade. This indicates that veterans and military personnel tend to choose niches where they can quickly launch a product or service and remain closely connected to their communities.

Dynamics of the 3 seasons

Over the course of three seasons, the “Live towards” program has become a prominent platform for supporting veteran-owned businesses.

The first season received 297 applications, and 14 teams were awarded grants through the selection process. The second season set a record: 430 applications were submitted, and 21 teams became winners. In the third season, 318 applicants plan to participate and compete for a grant, with up to 20 teams expected to win.

All seasons share a common social goal: to help veterans and military personnel gain business education, test their ideas, find partners, and secure funding to launch or scale their businesses.

By December 24, 40 teams will be selected based on viable business ideas and strong motivation. From January to March 2026, the KSE Graduate Business School will conduct training for participants, while the Future Development Agency (FDA) will provide mentoring and expert support.

Thus, the “Live towards” program continues to build a community of veteran entrepreneurs, for whom their own businesses serve as a means of financial independence, reintegration into civilian life, and participation in the country’s economic development.

Current program updates and a list of participating teams will be available on the “Live towards” platform website and on the community’s Telegram channel.