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.
