The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide a loan for the UNIT.City innovation campus development. The bank said on its website that its Board made the decision at the end of April 2020.
The details about the amount of the loan and the borrower are not disclosed.
Earlier the Ukrainian government said that this concerns a EUR 50 million loan to Unit Holdings LLC.
The EIB said that the project is part of an urban development and comprises the design, renovation and construction of carefully selected sub-projects that are part of the innovation campus. The project includes the extension of a private non-profit IT training facility, multifunctional flexible floor space offering a variety of office accommodation, fablabs, communal and interaction spaces as well as seminar and meeting room spaces for events plus other supporting facilities and infrastructures.
In November 2019, EIB Vice President Vazil Hudak said that a loan for development of UNIT.City could be provided.
UNIT.City Innovation Park officially opened in April 2017 on the territory of the former Kyiv Motorcycle Plant.
Unit Holdings LLC was established in November 2017. The main activity is the development of construction projects. According to the unified public register, participant in LLC is CJSC Dinpero Investments Limited (Cyprus). The ultimate beneficiary is the founder of UFuture holding Vasyl Khmelnytsky.
Building B12 of the Kyiv innovation park UNIT.City has received the silver certificate LEEDv.4 Core & Shell of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). “Building B12 is the first commercial building in Ukraine to be awarded such a certificate. The developer of the project was KAN Development, the contractor was KAN Bud. Delta Ukraine performed the LEED certification of the building,” Delta Ukraine’s press service said.
In particular, the following features of the building were noted: good location relative to the public transport network and social infrastructure, the availability of an underground parking lot with electric car chargers, energy-efficient design, engineering equipment, LED lighting, water-efficient plumbing and landscape irrigation system, separate waste collection, a ban on smoking in and around the building, two-stage air purification and quality control.
As reported, with reference to UFuture, in general, until 2021 the amount of investment in UNIT.City will reach EUR 245 million, and by 2025 the total area of real estate in the park should be 500,000 square meters.
The UNIT.City Innovation Park officially opened in April 2017 in the territory of the former Kyiv Motorcycle Plant. By the beginning of 2019, some 50,000 square meters were already built up in the technical park, and more than 100 companies became its residents.
UNIT.City also started the construction of residential buildings, which should occupy about 30% of its area. It was planned to commission the first facilities in April 2020. By 2025, the total area of UNIT.City should be 500,000 square meters.
On the basis of Small and Medium Entrepreneurship School (SME School, the project of Vasyl Khmelnytsky’s K.Fund), UFuture opens UNIT School of Business in UNIT.City. The first open day at the new educational institution will take place on October 10 in UNIT Factory, Kyiv.
UNIT School of Business works in a new format for Ukraine: the program includes 119 hours of practical work on each participant’s real business instead of theoretical lectures. Entrepreneurs bring their daily tasks and look for profitable ways to solve them together with teachers. For this, the school’s experts have developed short practical programs for business modeling, marketing, sales, brand building, effective innovative tools that are easy to apply in the work of a small and medium Ukrainian business.
“We’ve created UNIT School of Business because in Ukraine, we haven’t found any entrepreneurship school organized at a really great level. We understand how difficult it is for an entrepreneur to take a break even for two months, not to mention two years. Therefore, our programs are short and effective,” Artem Makeev, CEO of the project, said.
Creators of UNIT School of Business have taken into account the experience of the educational business project “Superludi” (“Superpeople”) and SME School (1.5 thousand graduates in the past three years). The mentors of the institution are market experts and business practitioners of UFuture, UNIT.City innovation park, UDP development company, Biopharma innovative pharmaceutical company, ITernal group of IT companies and an ecosystem of tech solutions, Lean Institute Ukraine, and “Superludi”.
“Nine out of ten businesses in Ukraine are closed during the first year of existence. Not because of external reasons, but because of the lack of knowledge. We’ve collected the necessary knowledge and will help to apply it in business,” Vlad Nozdrachev, partner of UNIT School of Business, Founder and Project Manager of “Superludi”, said.
UNIT School of Business is a part of UNIT ecosystem which includes, in particular, Ugrow (a closed community of entrepreneurs with regular events, group coaching and mentoring support, access to which is available to students of UNIT School of Business), INDAX accelerator (helps to build production, including investments), Sector X accelerator (finds clients and partners in IT field and helps businesses enter the western market).
The open day at UNIT School of Business will start on October 10 at 16:00. The program of the event includes speeches by representatives of the business school and Ugrow, informal communication with graduates of SME School. The first 100 people who register at https://forms.gle/nGUDtomazJ3B7KXL7 will be able to take part in the open day.
The launch of the new curriculum of UNIT School of Business will take place on October 21.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
UFuture is a holding company of Ukrainian entrepreneur Vasyl Khmelnytsky that integrates his business and impact-investment projects. The company has a diversified portfolio of assets in the fields of real estate, infrastructure, industry, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and IT. Currently, UFuture’s assets are estimated at $550 million, and the total capitalization of the businesses it invested in is more than $1 billion. UFuture is a majority shareholder in UDP development company (specializing in large infrastructure projects), Kyiv Sikorsky International Airport (the second international airport in Ukraine by passenger traffic), national operator of outdoor advertising RTM-Ukraine, and a group of IT companies and an ecosystem of tech solutions ITernal. UFuture is a strategic investor in the pharmaceutical company Biopharma and UDP Renewables, renewable energy investment and development company. UFuture is also developing new business projects including UNIT.City innovation parks in Kyiv and Kharkiv, LvivTech.City in Lviv; Bila Tserkva industrial park and a manufacturer of modern electrotechnical systems, Plank Electrotechnic. UFuture supports social projects in the fields of education and economics, including the Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF), Lean Institute Ukraine, UNIT School of Business, UNIT Factory innovative IT-schools in Kyiv and Kharkiv, Secondary education institution Novopecherska School, the all-Ukrainian online platform iLearn, and others.
By 2021, the first Ukrainian innovation park, UNIT.City (a project of UFuture), will be built at 20%, and the amount of investment in it will reach 245 million euros.
“UNIT.City must integrate into the international innovation ecosystem. To do this, we are ready to actively invest in the project, attract global technological leaders, and interact with global financial institutions. The park has reached a new level and is an understandable partner for key industry players,” Vasyl Khmelnytsky, Founder of UFuture, said.
Today, about EUR50 million have been invested in the innovation park and 36 thousand square meters of infrastructure have been built. Three campuses, an IT-school for gifted youth, UNIT Factory, coworking Chasopys.UNIT, a free sports complex and several cafes have been opened. By the end of this year, EUR70 million will be invested in the construction of two business campuses and the first phase of UNIT.Home with a total area of 60 thousand square meters. The construction of five new business campuses, the second phase of UNIT.Home, and a school (with a total area of 110 thousand square meters) is planned to start next year with EUR125 million of investments. Thus, a fifth part of the territory of the innovation park will be built.
According to UNIT.City’s CEO Dominique Piotet, in 2020, comfortable conditions for 150 resident companies as well as for education of more than 1,200 students will be created in the innovation park. Partnership with two of the world’s leading universities is planned. Five venture capital funds, eight laboratories, and ten accelerators are expected to operate in UNIT.City next year. The top manager hopes that international events such as Web Summit, IT Arena, CES, and Davos will be held at UNIT.City in 2020.
“My goal is to ensure that in 2025, when 90% of UNIT.City is built, the world appreciates Ukraine no longer for outsourcing, but for the high quality of innovations, startups. I would like the world to perceive our ecosystem as a place where ideas grow into world-famous companies. Where billion-dollar unicorn startups appear. I would like the next Tesla or iPhone to be born here in UNIT.City,” Dominique Piotet said.
The symbol of the “New Era” of the innovation park’s development is the opening of the unique “Beacon” art object at UNIT.City square. With the onset of darkness, light gradually rises along the two sides of a 60-meter factory pipe lighting a bright beam at the top. The diameter of its base is 3.5 m, and the length can reach 100 meters.
Inside the art object, a dome screen and a projection system were installed by a Ukrainian company, developer of visual solutions and technologies for planetariums and museums, Front Pictures. The image on the screen is being created by four projectors under the control of the Screenberry media server. The planetarium can be controlled remotely through the application on the tablet. “Beacon” was designed by a British artist, Sebastian Kite. The concept of the project was implemented by UDP development company.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
UFuture is a holding company of Ukrainian entrepreneur Vasyl Khmelnytsky that integrates his business and impact-investment projects. The Company has a diversified portfolio of assets in real estate, industry, infrastructure, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and IT. As of today, UFuture’s assets are estimated at $550 million with total capitalization of the businesses invested in exceeding $1 billion.
UNIT.City is Ukraine’s first innovation park. It is the location where matchless infrastructure and all-inclusive ecosystem enable high technology, innovative and creative businesses to happen and flourish. The goal is to become the center of innovations and a one-point entry into Ukraine for investors, partners and new technology from all over the world. The mission of UNIT.City is to create a unique innovation platform where advanced companies, start-ups and mavens get an opportunity to cross paths and work together ramping up their growth.
UFuture and UDP companies of businessman Vasyl Khmelnytsky in partnership with KAN Development (both based in Kyiv) plan to begin the construction of 70,000 square meters of new offices and the second phase of the UNIT.Home residential complex in the Kyiv innovative park UNIT.City in 2020.
“Currently, two office buildings are being built in UNIT.City, which will be brought to the market in the first quarter of 2020 … Next year we plan to begin the construction of 70,000 square meters of business campuses and the second phase of housing,” CEO of Unit.Holdings Kostiantyn Yevtushenko said at a presentation on launching home sales in the UNIT.Home project in Kyiv.
According to him, currently 36,000 square meters of offices have been built as part of the UNIT.City project (three business campuses). As of 2019, another 20,000 square meters of offices and 40,000 square meters of housing are under construction.
According to Ihor Nikonov, the founder of KAN Development, the UNIT.Home project is being implemented in accordance with the requirements of the international system of the green standard BREEAM (the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). Currently, the construction of the first stage of housing with an area of 40,300 square meters is being carried out. It includes sections of houses for 580 apartments. The number of floors ranges from six to 20. The project participants plan to complete the construction of the first stage in 2022.
Nikonov said the residential part of the UNIT.City project will occupy about 20% of all areas of the innovation town. In particular, in the end, the total housing area will be 174,900 square meters, while the area of the entire park is about 850,000 square meters.
UDP and KAN Development are the co-investors and developers of the UNIT.Home project. The project management company is Unit.Holdings.
UFuture is a holding company of Ukrainian businessman Vasyl Khmelnytsky, which combines his business and social projects. It has a diversified portfolio of assets in real estate, infrastructure, industry, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, and IT.
Kyiv, September 4, 2019. – The first innovation park, UNIT.City, starts the second phase of its development which includes its integration into the global innovation ecosystem. To complete this ambitious task, the company is changing its managing structure and introducing a new position of CEO which will be occupied by renowned Silicon Valley innovation expert, Dominique Piotet. He has over 20 years of experience in digital transformation, including work in Fortune Global 500 companies.
“UNIT.City is entering the next level. I’d like more international companies to open their offices here and hire Ukrainian programmers who have proven themselves to be highly-qualified specialists. To make this real as soon as possible, we’ve invited Dominique Piotet, a person with experience in Silicon Valley, to become CEO of the innovation park. Thanks to Dominique’s experience and his knowledge, UNIT.City has every chance of breaking into the innovative system of the world. I am grateful to Bakhmatov and Yakover for their contribution to the development of the innovation park that has turned an ambitious startup into a unique project of the international level,” Vasyl Khmelnytsky, Founder of UFuture, said.
“I’d like to thank Vasyl Khmelnytsky for the invitation and Max Yakover and Maxim Bakhmatov, who have met me with support and who shared their experience from the very first day. I am delighted to see what they’ve managed to build over the years. In Silicon Valley, where I worked for many years, Ukraine is well known for its great developers who work in such companies as Google, Facebook, Airbnb, Uber. When I first heard about UNIT.City, I realized that I should definitely get acquainted with this project to see where such talented IT-specialists come from,” Dominique Piotet, CEO of UNIT.City emphasized.
UNIT.City’s managing partners Max Yakover and Maxim Bakhmatov are leaving the project as it was planned due to the end of the three-year contract. The company is grateful for their contribution to the development of the innovation park at the first and most responsible stage of its establishment. Within three years, UNIT.City has launched an IT-school for gifted youth, UNIT Factory, built five business campuses, co-working space Chasopys.UNIT, a free gym, and several cafes. In the next seven years, the park is expected to attract about 15,000 new residents and create 10 R&D laboratories.
“In three years, we’ve created not just a brand, but a phenomenon. Today UNIT.City is already a household name. We’ve managed to succeed thanks to Vasyl Khmelnytsky, who risked to invest money, a huge team working on the project, and the residents of the park. Particularly, we are grateful to the very first residents who believed in us, because nothing like this existed in the country then,” Max Yakover, Managing Partner of the innovation park, said.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
UFuture is a Ukrainian private equity firm and group of companies, based in Kyiv. UFuture consolidates UDP, which is a real estate development company specialized in large infrastructure projects, the country’s second biggest Kyiv Sikorsky international airport, national Ukrainian outdoor advertising operator RTM, and Bila Tserkva industrial park. The group develops new and innovative businesses such as renewable energy generator UDP Renewables, pharmaceutical producer Biopharma, and innovation parks UNIT.City and LvivTech.City. UFuture supports and coordinates numerous impact and sustainability projects related to education and economics, some of which are annual Kyiv International Economic Forum, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship School, cutting-edge IT coding school UNIT Factory and Lean Institute Ukraine.
UNIT.City is Ukraine’s first innovation park. It is the location where matchless infrastructure and all-inclusive ecosystem enable high technology, innovative and creative businesses to happen and flourish. The goal is to become the center of innovations and a one-point entry into Ukraine for investors, partners and new technology from all over the world. The mission of UNIT.City is to create a unique innovation platform where advanced companies, start-ups and mavens get an opportunity to cross paths and work together ramping up their growth and honing quality. Park offers its residents a package of additional services for business development: meetings with investors, counseling, mentoring and accelerating programs, prototyping laboratories, great infrastructure for work and leisure.
CEO of UNIT.City Dominique Piotet is a recognized expert with a 20+ year experience in strategy and operational digital transformation for Fortune 500 companies, both as a consultant and as a corporate executive. Previously, Dominique was CEO of FABERNOVEL US, the US subsidiary of the global Innovation agency FABERNOVEL, the founder and owner of Rebellion Lab, a digital strategy consulting agency based in the Silicon Valley. Dominique worked and advised directly CEO’s and Government officials in the US, Europe, China, Australia and Japan. Prior Piote was responsible for digital strategy and innovation for BNP Paribas globally. Dominique has become one of the finalists of the global search initiated by UFuture and done by an international team of “Pedersen&Partners” that is specializing in top-level executives. Piote is also a successful entrepreneur with more than 50 investments in the portfolio, a startup mentor and advisor and is part of several nonprofits as advisor and ambassador. Dominique is also co-owner of Sierra Nevada Hospitality group, with two boutique hotels in the Foothill of Yosemite National Park. Dominique is a contributing columnist for various global publications. He is regularly an invited lecturer for IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Vogue. He is co-author of the best-selling and award-winning book “How the Web changes the world”, published in four languages (French, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish). Dominique has several awards. He is Knight of the National Order of Merit, given by the French President to recognize his work to support the digital transformation of the French economy and for the bridge he created between Silicon Valley and France. He was recognized as Digital Personality of the year in 2013 and received the price of the best book on technology in 2008.
