Ukrainian government and Visa launch visionary business accelerator to support female entrepreneurship in Ukraine

The Diia.Business network, with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, with the assistance of the global initiative She's Next Empowered by Visa, launched the acceleration program “Vidvazhna” (“Brave”) for Ukrainian women who founded a micro- or small business or dream of starting one. Female entrepreneurs are invited to apply for the project.

What the participants will receive

Participants of the “Vidvazhna” accelerator will receive mentoring, training, expert and financial support, as well as form a strong community for sharing experiences, finding partners and new business opportunities. The two best projects in the “Debutante” and “Visionary” nominations will each receive $5,000 in targeted financial assistance for the implementation of business initiatives under the She's Next Empowered by Visa program.

“The development of Ukrainian entrepreneurship is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. Diia.Business has been helping Ukrainian men and women develop their businesses for 3 years. In the times of full-scale invasion, the project continues to create new initiatives and opportunities for entrepreneurs. One of them is the “Vidvazhna” acceleration program. The project will unite 5,000 female entrepreneurs in one community and help them get new resources to scale their businesses. We continue to build a country of entrepreneurs,” shared Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

Format of participation

Businesswomen will be able to choose a convenient method of participation: online or offline. The program includes 12 educational modules. Serial workshops for participants were prepared by representatives of Visa, Silpo, Multiplex, 1991 Accelerator, Grape, Board. Speakers will share their own experience on how to analyze target audiences, correctly price a product, systematically build a service and reliable partnerships, and scale a business.

The online format involves the participation of 5,000 women regardless of location, experience or stage of business development.

The offline format involves preliminary competitive selection based on completed registration forms (detailed rules for participation are available on the website). Training will take place in small groups (8-16 people) on the basis of 10 Diia.Business Entrepreneur Support Centers and will include offline sessions with experts and mentors, practical seminars and homework.

Based on the results of the offline program, a ranking of the participants will be formed. 10 participants will be able to present their projects to the jury. Two more companies will be selected from those who completed the online training. To do this, you need to send a motivation letter and a developed business plan after finishing the last module of the program.

“For many years, Visa has been implementing initiatives aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs on their professional path. Now, amid deep crisis in the Ukrainian economy, this path has become especially thorny. We believe that our joint project will become such a community that will unite like-minded people dedicated to their work and inspire them to new achievements” commented Svitlana Chyrva, Vice President, Regional Manager in Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova, Visa.

How to register

The program is aimed at women who:

·         recently started their micro- or small business, have a startup with an existing prototype of a product or service

·         lead a micro- or small business, have a business plan, but are looking for opportunities for growth, export, entering new market segments

·         want to start a business, have an idea, but don't know where to start

·         study at a university and/or represent a female student team with whom they are ready to work on the development of a business idea.

The duration of the program is three months: from March to June 2023. The start of the first module is March 15, 2023. Apply for via the link.

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