399 teams from 21 regions applied for the fourth season of the “Live towards” educational grant program for veteran business development

FUIB Bank, in partnership with the NGO “Redut Business” and KSE Graduate Business School, has concluded the application process for the fourth season of the educational grant program “Live towards” The initiative, which has been helping veterans, military personnel, and their families build their own businesses for several years in a row, has once again gathered hundreds of motivated teams from across the country.

Almost four hundred applications have been submitted for participation in the new season. The participants will face high competition, as about 20 teams are applying for one grant. Based on the evaluation results, 40 finalists will undergo intensive business training, and up to 20 of them will receive grants ranging from UAH 500,000 to UAH 1 million to open or expand a business.

​From startup to scaling: who is shaping the new season

This time, almost the same number of applications came from those who are just starting their own business and those who already have a business and are striving to develop it.

The selection will traditionally take place in two categories:

• 199 applications (49.9%) came from beginners (startups) who plan to launch a business from scratch;
• 200 applications (50.1%) were submitted by experienced entrepreneurs who are already working and looking for a resource to expand and scale their business.

Analyzing the composition of the teams, it becomes obvious: veteran business is based on a strong support and joint work. The main share of applicants is made up of veterans (76.7%), as well as military personnel (18.5%).

In more than 55% of cases, the second member of the team is a husband or wife. The rest choose brothers and sisters (6.3%), business partners, friends or close relatives. Such cooperation becomes a natural bridge for the return of defenders to civilian life and the unification of military and civilians around a common cause.

Geography of the initiative: from the capital to small communities

The new season brought together veterans from almost the entire country: applications were sent from 21 regions and the city of Kyiv, with the exception of temporarily occupied and frontline territories.

The Lviv region traditionally demonstrates the greatest concentration of projects - 68 applications were accepted from there. The capital (48) and Kyiv region (35) are not inferior in the number of ideas.

Vinnytsia (33) and Khmelnytskyi (31) regions also entered the top five most active. They are followed by Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk and Odessa regions. This indicates an important trend: the veteran business community is actively forming and strengthening not only in megacities, but also in regional centers and small communities.

Focus on the real sector: how participants' priorities are transforming

The fourth season demonstrated a change in entrepreneurial orientations among beginners: if previously they more often chose the service sector as an entry point into business, this time more attention was paid to production and processing.

The leaders were manufacturing and industry – 38 applications. In second and third place were gastronomy with HoReCa (26) and agribusiness (25), and only after them came the service sector: beauty, medicine, rehabilitation and tourism.

In the category of experienced entrepreneurs, the focus on local production is even more pronounced: 55 teams plan to scale their workshops, workshops and product production lines. Also in high demand are the agricultural sector (including agrodrones), construction, decor and the direction of health and rehabilitation.

Veterans strive to create material added value, new jobs and products that work for the sustainability of the Ukrainian economy.

Project dynamics: consistency that produces results

The fourth season confirmed the high demand for the “Live towards” program among the participants of the hostilities. The dynamics speak for themselves: from 297 questionnaires in the first season and 430 in the second to 318 in the third and 399 in the current one.

Thanks to the grant support of the past seasons, 9 agricultural enterprises (including beekeeping), 6 craft industries, 6 businesses in the food industry and the same number in construction and repair (including service stations), 5 initiatives in the field of tourism and recreation, 2 coffee shops and other businesses are already operating.

Further route for the finalists

Applications are currently being processed and expert evaluation of the questionnaires is underway. By September 3, the competition committee will determine 40 teams that will advance to the next stage of the project.

Starting September 15, KSE Graduate Business School teachers and experts will begin practical online training for the selected participants, and mentoring and expert support will be provided by the NGO “Redut Business”. Teams will receive consultations on finance, marketing, SMM, legal subtleties and export opportunities in order to prepare viable business plans and convincingly defend their projects at the final pitching.

The joint initiative of FUIB and partners was created to provide veterans with a practical tool for reintegration. Owning your own business gives defenders a sense of support, the opportunity to independently manage property and income, create jobs for fellow citizens and be a driving force in the restoration of communities.

Read about the results of the competition and the teams that will be selected for training on the website of the “Live towards” platform.