FUIB has completed the 2nd stage of selection for participation in the veteran business program "Live towards": 40 teams have already started training

After a thorough review of 318 applications, the participants of the 3rd season of the educational grant program for veterans and active service members “Live towards” have been announced.

40 teams with the strongest business ideas and highest levels of motivation will spend two months acquiring the essential knowledge and skills needed to run a business and will receive long-term mentoring support from leading experts at the Future Development Agency and KSE Graduate Business School.

On January 12, 2026, the program participants met to get to know each other personally and briefly present their teams before training and further defense of their business plans.

"Live towards" – reintegration into society and the well-being of veterans

The “Live towards” educational grant program for the development of micro and small businesses from FUIB, Future Development Agency, and KSE Graduate Business School helps veterans return to civilian life through entrepreneurship. It combines online training, mentoring and expert support, as well as the opportunity to receive grant funding from FUIB to launch or scale their own business.

The program is designed for teams consisting of two or more people – a veteran or a military serviceman with the status of a combatant and a civilian (or another veteran). Mandatory condition: applicants must work as entrepreneurs or be ready to open a sole proprietorship.

Considering the previous seasons, the “Live towards” program is gaining more and more popularity: 727 applicants in the 1st and 2nd sets showed high interest and competition, and 35 winning teams received from 500 thousand to 1 million UAH for their own business.

40 participants of season 3

Based on the results of expert selection and online interviews, 40 teams were named, which already in January began intensive training in entrepreneurship, including such areas as accounting, marketing, SMM, and export.

20 winners, who will study responsibly and present the best business plans at the pitching, will receive grants from FUIB to open or develop their own business - from half a million (startups) to a million (experienced participants) hryvnias.

So, the twenty beginners who presented startups in season 3:

1. Stanislav and his wife Olena aim to make handmade desserts.

2. Artem and his wife Oksana are going to grow vegetables.

3. Ilya and his friend Anna will open a wake park and create an inclusive space on the water.

4. Andriy and his sister Iryna will dry and sell organic raspberries.

5. The couple Serhiy and Olena will open a family rehabilitation and recreation center “Dyka polonyna”.

6. Anastasia and her friend Yulia will develop a healthy food establishment “Zillya”.

7. Denys and his brother Serhiy are planning to open a production of semi-finished products “Pan Varenyk”.

8. Roman and his son Andriy are organizing a center for children and youth “Vistria”.

9. Andriy and his friend Volodymyr will do 3D-craft.

10. Igor and his girlfriend Olga will launch a mobile cleaning agency.

11. Anton and Olena will open a catering establishment “Veteran Street Café”.

12. Andriy and his business partner Oksana will make camping tents that are mounted on the roof of a car.

13. Igor and his wife Yevgenia will open a garden center VDOMA.

14. Maksym and Oksana will create a platform for selling handmade goods “CREATE4ME”.

15. Serhiy and his wife Svitlana will launch a coffee shop “BLACK BEANS”.

16. Lubomyr and Oresta will open a bakery “Black book bakery”.

17. Dmytro and his wife Regina will open a law firm “LexVetera”.

18. Andriy and Olena will treat bee diseases.

19. Oksana and her daughter Yana will launch a hardware cosmetology studio “Without a Trace”.

20. Stanislav and his business partner Vitaliy will sell equipment and install solar power plants.

Experienced participants who already have a business:

1. Tetyana and her husband Volodymyr are developing a family dairy farm “Gleya”.

2. Nikita and his wife – a flower decor studio “Simple Flowers”.

3. Viktor and Tetyana make metal structures.

4. Igor and Olga have zero-waste farming and produce feed additives thanks to biotechnology.

5. Artem and Anastasia make modular wooden houses.

6. Dmitry and Viktoria have a “Family Yacht Club” and, thanks to a grant, plan to open educational courses in yachting.

7. Bohdan and his friend Vitalia organize children's camps on the Dniester River "Prystan Varyaga".

8. Andriy and his friend Anton own the studio "Igrolad" and create board games.

9. Yuriy and his friend Oleg make dentures.

10. The couple Vitaliy and Oleksandra have an entertainment space "SKY VR".

11. The couple Dmitry and Daryna develop the printing house "Mini Zavod".

12. Mykhailo and his daughter Roksolana produce oil paintings.

13. The couple Roman and Yaryna have a photo studio "Spalakh".

14. The couple Ruslan and Tatyana work in a home comfort store that sells goods from small craft masters: veterans and people from the border region.

15. Peter and a member of Tatyana's family have a blacksmith shop.

16. The couple Valeriy and Alena produce bed linen and home textiles “VIA”.

17. Viktor and his friend Oleg run a quail farm “PerepilochkaBRO!”

18. Igor and his friend Maksym produce dehydrated vegetables, fruits, as well as meat and fish products.

19. The couple Oleg and Maria have a monument workshop.

20. The couple Yevgeny and Olena run an educational and health center for physical therapy “Inkorte”.

Next stages of the season

Online team training is being conducted from January to March 2026, with a focus on business plan development, reinforced by expert and mentoring support.

In KSE Graduate Business School programs, participants structure personal and professional experiences of war and adaptation to make business decisions under conditions of high uncertainty and develop entrepreneurial approaches.

In late March - early April, 40 teams will hold an offline defense of their business plans in Kyiv.

Based on the results of the training and defense, up to 20 winning teams will be determined, which will receive grant support:

• up to 500 thousand UAH – for the beginner category;
• 500 thousand – 1 million UAH – for participants with experience.

From April to July, grant agreements will be concluded and accounts will be opened at FUIB for individual entrepreneurs. The winners will continue to be supported by experienced mentors.

One year after the start of the project, teams must submit financial and descriptive reports on the use of the grant.

Read more about the program here.