91% of respondents see clear growth potential for their startups – New research PUSB

On December 16, a press conference was held in Kyiv at the Media Center (9 B. Hrinchenka St.), during which Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge (PUSB), together with the Ukrainian Startup Fund, presented a new analytical report titled “Resilient Innovation: Ukrainian Startups Fighting Today”. The full report can be downloaded from the official PUSB website at the link. The speakers at the press conference were Lukasz Wawak, Head of Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge and Yana Hulak, Project Manager, Ukrainian Startup Fund.

About the Report

The report was prepared by Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge (PUSB) in cooperation with the Ukrainian Startup Fund and with the involvement of key ecosystem partners: 1991, Investment Capital Ukraine, ISE Corporate Accelerator, Sigma Software, Techosystem, WinWin, and YEP.

This is the fourth comprehensive analysis of the Ukrainian startup ecosystem conducted within the PUSB initiative.

Research Focus

The authors aimed to:

• assess the current state of the startup support ecosystem in Ukraine;
• analyze how Ukrainian startups are already contributing to the national economy;
• explore the role of startups in the reconstruction and transformation of Ukraine across multiple sectors, including infrastructure, healthcare, education, and commerce;
• identify the key needs of local authorities and institutions involved in regional development and reconstruction.

A key element of this year’s study was 25 in-depth interviews with startup founders, who shared their personal stories, daily challenges, and perspectives on how startups can support Ukraine now and in the future.

Key Findings: Startups

• 91% of respondents see clear growth potential for their startups;
• One in three startups employ military veterans;
• Over 45% assess the current startup support ecosystem as medium-strong;
• Two-thirds believe the ecosystem is in better condition than last year;
• Flexibility, adaptability, and technological innovativeness are seen as key advantages over traditional businesses;
• The most important contributions to reconstruction include job creation, new technologies, and delivery of critical services;
• The top barriers to development are lack of access to financing, regulatory constraints, and difficulties in cooperating with public institutions.

Key Findings: Business Environment Institutions (BEI)

• 97% of institutions indicate a clear need to strengthen external fundraising capabilities;
• 100% aim to build competencies in partnerships with foreign entities;
• The main area of reconstruction support is business development;
• While most institutions already have strong domestic partnership experience, they seek to develop cross-sectoral cooperation;
• BEIs are largely optimistic or highly motivated about their future role in Ukraine’s reconstruction;
• BEIs are primarily concentrated in central and western regions of Ukraine.