Restart Ukraine

The Challenge

Over 6 million people fled Ukraine following the Russian invasion on 24th February 2022, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection, and assistance in host countries. Approximately 90% were women and children. Whilst the immediate need was humanitarian aid, there was also a need to maintain economic activity.

The Needs

GEN focus group research revealed the resourcefulness of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs, exposing a complexity of needs and pivots, including a healthy frozen food business pivoting to supply 1,500 soldiers in Kyiv with daily meals, to a fashion brand now supplying army uniforms. 

The Programme

In 2022, GEN launched Restart Ukraine to provide a support programme for Ukrainian female founders. The programme was designed to provide the necessary assistance to enable them to rebuild their businesses in the UK, to create an ‘economy in waiting’. GEN was proud to receive support from LinkedIn and various business organizations to help deliver the right support. 

Overall Objective

Restart Ukraine aimed to support the economic independence of women by creating a framework for the continuity of small businesses and the encouragement of startups and scaleups relocating to the UK to keep the Ukrainian economy alive. It curated the knowledge, tools, and expertise to support Ukrainian women entrepreneurs, forming a blueprint for other host nations.

The women joining our programme were given access to an online community, providing immediate access to a support network. Volunteer mentors and business advisors were then matched to help them build their businesses.

Apply to join Restart Ukraine

Applications are currently closed, however if you are a Ukrainian woman entrepreneur looking for assistance for your business, please contact us to see what we can do.