In Warsaw, four Ukrainian startups won awards during Demo Day by Kyiv Tech Hub

On Thursday, November 30, the Demo Day by Kyiv Tech Hub conference was held in Warsaw, organized by the Cooperation Fund Foundation as part of the Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge project. Since 2018, the event had been held in Kyiv, but due to Russian aggression, for the second year in a row, the event gathered participants at the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW).

Demo Day by Kyiv Tech Hub is a conference during which Ukrainian startups present their projects on stage in front of Polish and international investors, accelerators, and other participants in the Polish and EU startup ecosystem. This year, ten startups were selected from the Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge pre-acceleration program in 2023, and each received PLN 10,000 from the project for development.

The conference began with a welcome speech by Mr. Witold Wiliński, President of GPW Tech SA; Mrs. Jadwiga Emilewicz, Secretary of State and Government Plenipotentiary for Polish-Ukrainian Development Cooperation (Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy); Oleksandr Romanishyn, head of digitalization at the National Council for the Reconstruction of Ukraine; Dar’i Chayki, head of the economic and innovation development department at the National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation of Ukraine; and Łukasz Wawak, manager of Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge.

Also during the event, there was a panel discussion on „Reinventing Ukraine: How can we contribute to building a sustainable startup ecosystem for an innovative country?”. The panel was moderated by Mike Khaletsky, a Leading Expert on the Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge. Among the participants were Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz, Roman Nikitov, co-head of ICU Ventures; Vadym Melnyk, CEO of Dronehub; and President Witold Wiliński, GPW Tech SA.

In 2023, the winners of Demo Day by Kyiv Tech Hub were:

1st place – Spendbase: The startup received a cash prize of PLN 15,000 from the Cooperation Fund Foundation.
2nd place – INPUT SOFT: The startup received a cash prize of PLN 10,000 from ICU Ventures.
3rd place – Pleso Therapy: The startup received a cash prize of PLN 5,000 from Capital Kinetics.
Material prize – AR Platform: The startup received a prize of PLN 20,000 as part of marketing services and product development work from DigiWay Media.

Sofia Shcherbeniuk, Partnership Development Manager at Spendbase, mentioned, „The Demo Day by Kyiv Tech Hub conference in Warsaw is a place to promote Ukrainian startups on a Polish and Central European scale.”

„The winner was determined based on points from the jury’s assessment, with the unique features of the awarded teams being of great importance. Spendbase is a startup that has developed quickly and professionally in an incredibly short time. INPUT SOFT implements real innovations in a very conservative aviation market. Pleso Therapy provides a much-needed impact in the field of mental health. The winner of the material prize, the AR Platform, is also a solution with a positive impact, which has undergone significant changes during cooperation with us,” said Łukasz Wawak, head of Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge.

The main part of the startup pitching competition was attended by:

AR Platform – the company is developing a solution (hardware + software) aimed at providing an answer to the problem of lower limbs caused by diabetes. Moreover, the solution can be used for rehabilitation purposes (after certification).
Playmanity – the company develops a product whose aim is to change the current business model of creating video games. Playmanity’s solution enables fans of indie games to indirectly fund developers through interactions with in-game advertising.
PGBLDR – the company has developed an online website generation engine (landingpage) and a digital advertising campaign engine for both B2B and B2C clients. The product helps improve A/B testing of landing pages as well as increase the effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns.
Vacuum Gravity Energy – The company develops a mobile hardware solution in the Green Energy sector that allows for the conversion of atmospheric pressure fluctuations into useful electricity.
Capsule – the company is developing a solution that turns your smartphone into a personal stylist. It then helps you create a curated wardrobe based on both existing wardrobe items and recommendations for new purchases.
Pleso Therapy operates a mental health management platform that connects B2C clients with mental health professionals. Pleso boasts a high total transaction value of over USD 300,000 in several key markets.
GrainMole – the company develops a solution (hardware + software) enabling control of conditions during grain storage and transport. Thanks to this product, grain producers and logistics service providers can reduce losses resulting from excessive exposure of the product to moisture.
FinOK – the company has developed solutions for managing financial flows for startups and small and medium-sized companies. FinOK has built a B2B sales model in which it does not reach small and medium-sized enterprises directly but through the sales channels of a commercial bank.
Spendbase – the company has developed a SaaS solution that allows startups and SMEs to reduce operational costs (OPEX) by intelligently managing the subscriptions and licences used.
INPUT SOFT – The company has developed a web-based aviation management solution for airports and airlines. The basic product modules (resource management, data management) allow you to smoothly improve offline processes.

The participants’ performances can be viewed on the PUSB project page at the link. Demo Day by Kyiv Tech Hub is organized by the „Cooperation Fund” Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy, Polish Aid, the Warsaw Stock Exchange, ICU Ventures, Capital Kinetics, Event Wallet, and DigiWay Media.