Сypriot PVK Energy Investment, part of ICU Group, has acquired Solar Capital LLC (Kherson), whose beneficiary was previously Iryna Barakh, the wife of chief military prosecutor Anatoliy Matios, according to information in the state register. “The acquisition of Solar Capital is another step in the development of our investment business in the field of alternative energy,” Kostiantyn Stetsenko, the managing partner of ICU, told Interfax-Ukraine.
He noted that the first project of the group in this direction is the construction of Kamyanets-Podilsky solar plant.
“Now we are investing in the construction of a solar power plant in Kherson region. This investment is our contribution to the renewal of generating capacities in Ukraine, energy independence by reducing dependence on imported fossil resources and the implementation of the national plan for the share of renewable energy sources,” he said.
Earlier, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine agreed the deal.
According to the state register, Solar Capital was registered on February 15 of this year with a charter capital of UAH 4.5 million. Its head is Yevhen Barakh, who from mid-July also heads MS Social Project, part of ICU Group, planning to build Ukraine’s largest plant for processing solid domestic waste in Zhytomyr.
The Danish agro-company Agromino (formerly Trigon Agri) with assets in Ukraine, Russia and Estonia in January-June 2018 saw EUR 2.82 million of net loss compared with EUR 9.46 million of net profit a year ago. According to a report of the company on its website, total revenue, taking into account the adjustment of the fair asset value and stocks, fell by 8.5% in H1 2018, to EUR 27.24 million.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were negative, being EUR 1.8 compared with positive EUR 9.4 million a year ago.
Consolidated assets as of June 2018 were estimated at EUR 58.32 million compared with EUR 46.77 million as of late 2017. In Q2 2018, Agromino cut net profit by 20.7% year-over-year, to EUR 8.14 million and revenue – by 9.5%, to EUR 20.25 million. As reported, Agromino in 2017 posted EUR 3.48 million net profit against EUR 25.08 million net loss in 2016. Revenues decreased by 17.6%, to EUR32.83 million.
Agromino (formerly Trigon Agri) was established in 2006. It specializes in grain and dairy production, agricultural trade.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to the Kyrgyz Republic Valeriy Zhovtenko. Relevant presidential decree No. 264/2018 dated August 30, 2018 was made public on the website of the head of state on Thursday. “Appoint Valeriy Tymofiyovych Zhovtenko extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Ukraine in the Kyrgyz Republic,” the document says.
European B2B accelerator Startup Wise Guys plans to invest up to EUR 2 million in Ukraine startups at an early stage in the coming two years. Startup Wise Guys CEO Cristobal Alonso told Interfax-Ukraine that of the 100 startups, in which the accelerator has invested for seven years in the European market, 15 companies are from Ukraine. In total, these Ukrainian startups received support from Startup Wise Guys in the amount of about EUR 600,000.
“By 2020, we plan to make investments in 100 more startups, of which, with the current trend, 15-20% will be allocated to Ukrainian companies. We are planning to increase the total investment, respectively to EUR 50,000. Of this amount, EUR 30,000 will be cash, and EUR 20,000 is investments in the growth program. We would be able to pre-invest another EUR 50,000 in the half of the companies which the accelerator invested in, and in the event of particularly successful startups [Startup Wise Guys will invest] another EUR 100,000 more,” Alonso said.
According to him, earlier investments were up to EUR 40,000, including EUR 20,000 of financial assistance and EUR 20,000 in the development program.
During the acceleration program Ukraine Startup Hunt in Kyiv, a total 48 applications were submitted from Ukrainian startups, of which 20 were allowed to take part in the first qualifying round, and 10 entered the second round. As a result, Startup Wise Guys selected four startups to participate in the final round, which will be held in September this year. The startups-winners will receive up to EUR 30,000 of the seed money, a wide network of contacts, promotion and recommendations for expanding to all European countries.
Of the four winners, three teams were selected in the B2B SaaS and one in the Fintech segment.
Among the winners are Zirity (web and mobile AR application for real-time eyeglasses fitting), StudyDive (the online platform for selection of short-term and long-term educational programs (courses, trainings, seminars), NUWORK (HR tool for recruiting personnel for HoReCa) and Geologic Group (a geolocation solution to improve the security of providing banking services).
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
