Michael Lvov

The Ukrainian Startup Fund announces a new €1 million grant program At IT Arena 2025, the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF) announced Startup EDGE — an opportunity for early-stage innovative teams to secure funding, develop their products, and reach international markets. The goal is to strengthen the competitiveness of Ukraine’s startup ecosystem in Europe and globally. USF has become the largest angel investor in Ukrainian startups. To date, USF has awarded grants to 470 companies totaling UAH 380 million. The new €1,000,000 program is an investment in the growth of entrepreneurship and technology in Ukraine. Program focus areas: ✅ Deep Tech: AI, biotechnology, medical and space technologies, robotics, quantum computing, cybersecurity, electronics, 5G, Web 3.0, and other breakthrough technologies. ✅ GreenTech: sustainable development, renewable energy, clean technologies, resource-saving solutions, and reducing environmental impact. ✅ EdTech: digital education solutions and technologies that transform learning and increase accessibility to knowledge. The program provides financial support through non-repayable grants designed to accelerate early-stage innovation: — Pre-seed stage: up to €20,000 — Seed stage: up to €40,000 Each application undergoes a transparent selection process: eligibility check, expert evaluation, presentation to the commission, and final decision by the Supervisory Board. The program is implemented with support from EU4Innovation East, a regional initiative funded by the EU, co-financed by the French government, and executed by Expertise France. More details here: https://lnkd.in/eN43_K6T We help Ukrainian startups scale and develop Ukraine’s innovation ecosystem.

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#Cyprus is an unusual case for tech. As a primarily tax-heaven island, with low population, you might skip it in many startup ecosystem analysis. But, other than the abundant iGaming, Fintech, and other industries, there is a thriving environment in #SaaS & Tech attracting attention. Industries include: eLearning, Gaming, Proptech, Health, and AI. Over the recent years, from biggest to smallest funding rounds: Wargaming - No Funding - Probably the biggest gaming company in the island. LearnWorlds - $32M in 2021 - Building the future of eLearning as a hybrid LMS & Course platform. Eschatology Entertainment - €10.2 in 2024 - A game development studio created by professionals who have worked in the biggest international studios. Keragon - $7.5M in late 2024 - The Cypriot founders are based in Greece, building the next generation automation software for Healthcare. Ask Wire - €1.5M, one third from crowdfunding - A real estate intelligence platform focusing on Cyprus, Greece, and Romanian markets. Placy - €1M in 2024 - A real estate AI solution. Electryone AI - €0.4M this year - Providing an Enterprise AI platform for next-gen energy tariffs and services. ----- While these amounts are far from unicorn-level, for an island with a population of about 1 million people are big success stories going international. While Cypriot founders are also founding startups and thriving in other countries. ----- Did I miss any recent startup funding worth mentioning? Add it in the comments, and we could very well expand this map 👇

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We raised $4.5M seed to build a digital bank in Belarus. At the time it felt like the future: wallets, instant transfers, mobile-first design. But the truth was harsh: the market wasn’t ready, and the regulations were hostile. What in 3–5 years would look like a perfect business… in that moment could put you in jail. That’s when I learned: being early can be as dangerous as being wrong. In business, timing is everything. The skill is not just building something “cool” — it’s creating the situation where technology, regulation, and society are ready to adopt it.

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Is the lottery still relevant in the age of instant wins and crypto prizes?   Nikolina Gabelica, Head of Lotteries at EveryMatrix, speaks with iGamingBusiness about how the industry is evolving to meet today’s player expectations.   From gamified innovation and cross-sell potential to the roadblocks posed by outdated regulations, this interview explores what’s next for the lottery and what it needs to thrive in a rapidly changing market.   👉 Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gyF-Q7db

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