The composition of the first Ukrainian national delegation to South by Southwest (SXSW) 2022 will be determined at a startup competition, co-director of Startup Grind Kyiv Hannah Zenn has told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Zenn, the six winning startups will present their product as part of the Ukrainian Corner at SXSW 2022, which will be held in Austin, Texas from March 11 to March 20, 2022.
The first official delegation to SXSW from Ukraine became possible thanks to the USAID’s Competitive Economy Program (CEP) and their close cooperation with the Ukrainian Startup Fund, Startup Grind Kyiv and Western NIS Enterprise Fund, and with the assistance of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Council of Exporters and Investors under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are organizing the first mission for Ukrainian startups in Austin, Texas. The Ukrainian corner at the international exhibition SXSW, where investors and partners come for new fresh innovative ideas, will show the synergy of creative industries in the context of expanding opportunities and the presence of Ukrainian startups in the world,” Deputy Chief of Party at USAID Competitive Economy Program in Ukraine (CEP) Olesya Zaluska said.
Director of the Ukrainian Startup Fund Pavlo Kartashov expressed his satisfaction that Ukraine will present its achievements and visions to the world for the first time at this large-scale event. “The program of innovative vouchers of the Ukrainian Startup Fund operates, first of all, for such initiatives – to show the victories of Ukrainian startups in the international arena and to support them in further scaling,” he said.
SXSW is an international event held since 1987 in the middle of March in Austin, Texas, the United States. The event brings together leaders from all over the world to meet and discuss topical issues. In total, the event is attended by over 70,000 people and about 10,000 companies. SXSW guests include Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Mark Cuban and others. It covers many tracks of programming – SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSWedu, SXSW Eco, etc. SXSW Interactive focuses on new technologies, its program includes an exhibition, talks, group meetings, and a startup accelerator. SXSW Interactive has been arguably the largest festival of its kind since 2007, according to co-founder Louis Black.
To participate in the competition, Ukrainian applicants shall submit an application before January 10, 2022 (https://usf.com.ua/sxsw-2022/). Potential participants shall be ready to demonstrate a product or service (layout/prototype/etc.); have an English speaking founder (or an English speaking representative).
A startup shall also meet the requirements for participation in the SXSW 2022 program, in particular, be registered as a Ukrainian legal entity or have at least one founder – an individual entrepreneur in Ukraine; his team shall be located in Ukraine in whole or in part; use technologies created in Ukraine and continue their R&D development in Ukraine; position himself or herself as Ukrainian in the public field; have paying customers and good customer retention and/or acquisition dynamics; institutional readiness to attract investment: preliminary investment rounds of famous angels and/or funds, etc.
The submitted applications will be checked for compliance with the terms of the competition. Startups that have passed internal compliance will participate in the Pitch on January 21, 2022. Selected by the jury, six startups will take part in SXSW 2022. Partners of the initiative will cover the winners’ costs for the cost of the stand, conference tickets, accommodation, and flights within the framework of an innovative voucher from USF in the amount of $10,000.
“SG Kyiv is already known for organizing the first official Ukrainian delegation of startups to the conference in Silicon Valley SG Global in 2020. This year we open doors for Ukrainian startups and ecosystems to SXSW. This is a unique access to the U.S. business environment and a new innovation center – Texas, as well as the opportunity to find partners and investors among the largest funds and corporations in the world,” Chapter Director of Startup Grind Kyiv Kateryna Degtyar said.
USAID’s Competitive Economy Program supports startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve their competitiveness in the domestic and international markets, helps develop a simplified and transparent business climate, and provides Ukrainian companies with opportunities to take advantage of the international trade.
Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF) is a state fund created on the initiative of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. For two years of USF work, more than 240 Ukrainian startups at the seed or pre-seed stage received grant funding, the total amount of funding reached more than $6.3 million.
Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF) is a $150 million regional fund, a pioneer in Ukraine and Moldova with over 25 years of successful experience in investing in small and medium-sized companies. WNISEF was funded by the U.S. government via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Since its inception, WNISEF’s cumulative investments total over $186 million to 130 companies employing around 26,000 people and made it possible to unlock $2.2 billion for companies in Ukraine and Moldova. In 2015 WNISEF has launched a $35 million legacy program focused on export promotion, local economic development, impact investing and economic leadership.
Startup Grind Kyiv is the official representative of Startup Grind (the community numbers about 5 million of the best entrepreneurs in the world); it has been holding regular events in Kyiv since 2014.
There are enough vaccines in Ukraine for the prevention of COVID-19 and a full course of vaccination, as well as for the introduction of a booster dose, Health Minister Viktor Liashko has said.
“Vaccination points and mass vaccination centers are open [except for January 7 – a day off]. There is a vaccine in Ukraine – for the first and second vaccinations, as well as for the introduction of additional and booster doses,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
According to the minister, only three regions of Ukraine have overcome the 50% threshold of the fully vaccinated adult population: Kyiv city (73%), Kyiv (55%) and Poltava (51%) regions.
At the same time, Liashko predicts an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
“The healthcare system is preparing for another increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Ukraine,” he said.
As reported, Liashko on Thursday signed an order on the introduction of a booster dose for all vaccinated Ukrainians over 18 years old.
The trade union of certified employees of the internal affairs agencies of Ukraine appeals to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky with a request to initiate amendments to the law on the National Police to form the financial support of the policeman at the relevant level.
“The extremely low level of salaries, unsatisfactory material security… this has led to the emergence of a protest movement in the police team, which is spreading in the country. These issues are discussed on social networks, receive significant social resonance,” the union said in a statement to the president, the text of which is available at the disposal of the agency.
According to the document, police officers serve in extremely difficult conditions of hybrid war, pandemic, and public administration reform.
The police are currently the only category who receive a pension in line with the law of Ukraine on the provision of pensions to persons dismissed from military service, whose official salaries are not related to the subsistence level for able-bodied persons established by law as of January 1, 2022.
It is also noted that the imbalance between the financial support of a police officer and another law enforcement officer “leads to the consistent destruction of the National Police” and ignoring these problems can lead to negative results both for the system and for the state as a whole.
“We ask you, as a guarantor of state sovereignty… to urgently consider the petition ‘Raising the salaries of police officers,’ which has now gained over 25,000 votes. Use the right of legislative initiative and initiate amendments to the law of Ukraine on the National Police regarding the formation of components and the establishment of financial support for police officers at a decent level,” the union said in the appeal signed by head of the trade union Ihor Poplavsky to the head of state.
The trade union of certified employees of the internal affairs agencies asks the president to submit the relevant bill to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration as an urgent one, as well as initiate amendments to the 2022 national budget by the Verkhovna Rada, which will provide for an increase in the financial support of police officers.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) in 2022 will conduct scheduled inspections at six oversight objects to ensure that they comply with the requirements of the legislation on the activities of payment systems in Ukraine, the press service of the regulator said on Wednesday.
According to the report, in the first quarter the regulator will check AC DC Processing LLC and FC Feniks LLC, in the second quarter – Platiservice LLC, in the third quarter – PJSC Bank Familny, and in the fourth quarter – Ukrainian Payment system LLC and FC Kontraktovy Dim LLC.
Ukraine in 2021 increased the export of rapeseeds in monetary terms by 67.8% compared to 2020 – to $1.69 billion, but reduced soybeans by 12%, to $610 million, according to the generalized statistics posted on the website of the State Customs Service.
Total exports of products from group No. 12 of the Ukrainian classification of goods for foreign economic activity “Seeds and fruits of oil plants; other seeds, fruits and grains; technical or medicinal plants; straw and fodder” last year increased by 32.2% compared to 2020 – to $2.44 billion.
During this period, Ukraine also exported flax seeds for $17.4 million (an increase of 2.3 times), oilseeds for sowing for $14.8 million (down 16.6%), oilseeds for medicine and perfumery for $20.6 million (up 12.3%).
The largest part of the revenue in this group of goods was generated by the export of rapeseeds (69.3%) and soybeans (25%).
In 2021, Ukraine increased imports of goods from group No. 12 by 16% compared to 2020 – up to $450 million. In particular, imports of sunflower seeds amounted to $244 million (down 40%), rapeseeds – $71.2 million (growth by 2 times), oil seeds for sowing – $58.9 million (up 7.6%), peanuts – $41.1 million (up 5.6%).
Thus, over the past year, Ukraine’s surplus from trade in goods of group No. 12 amounted to $1.99 billion, which is 36.5% more than in 2020.
Trade in these goods in 2021 became the sixth direction for Ukraine in terms of foreign exchange earnings after trading in ferrous metals (total sales of $13.96 billion), grains ($12.35 billion), ore ($7.13 billion), vegetable oils and fats and those of animal origin ($7.05 billion), electrical equipment and machinery ($3.09 billion).
The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv upheld a prosecutor’s petition regarding the seizure of the property of the fifth President of Ukraine, MP Petro Poroshenko, who is suspected of high treason and fostering terrorism by Ukrainian law enforcement officers. The ruling of the court was announced during the hearing on Thursday.
“The petition of the prosecutor for the seizure of property shall be satisfied,” the court said in the document.
The judge, announcing the ruling during the hearing, listed all the property and assets of the fifth president, which are being seized. They include, in particular, apartments belonging to Poroshenko in Vinnytsia and Kyiv, an estate in Kozyn, land plots, Poroshenko’s shares in a number of private companies.
“The ruling is subject to immediate execution by the investigating prosecutor. The ruling of the investigating judge can be challenged… in the court of appeal,” the judge said.
She also said the publication of the full text of the ruling is scheduled for 12:00 on January 14, 2022.
