KYIV. June 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Venture capital investment into Ukrainian companies at early and growth stages increased by 2.4 times in 2015, and reached $132 million.
Managing Director of the Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (UVCA) Jaanika Merilo wrote on her Facebook page that a total of 66 disclosed deals were held, and 48 deals with the participation of foreign funds.
She also said that 62 deals were investment into early stage and four deals were investment in growth stage. Investment in growth stage reached some $100 million.
“If to put it briefly: they believe in Ukraine, especially IT investors who are ready to take more risks,” Merilo said.
She said that this investment is real money.
“We do not measure the money that is invested through Cyprus and other zones. This is the real money of foreign and Ukrainian funds in the charter capitals of companies (not credits),” Merilo said.
UVCA was founded in August 2014. The initiators of the association were Andriy Kolodiuk and Merilo. Today 1,200 investment companies, institutional investors and market players, including Horizon Capital, KM Core, AVentures, Intel Capital, SCM, Vostok Ventures, Capital Times, the Warsaw Stock Exchange and other international investors, are association members. The World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) are partners of the association.
