SEEDS OF BRAVERY: supporting Ukraine’s tech start-up scene and bringing it closer to the EU

Project Information

UASEEDs

Grant agreement ID: 101104445

DOI

10.3030/101104445

Project closed

EC signature date 29 November 2023

Start date 1 October 2023

End date 31 March 2026

Funded under

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Total cost

€ 20 580 580,68

EU contribution

€ 20 000 000,00

Coordinated by

FUNDINGBOX ACCELERATOR SP ZOO
Poland

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - UASEEDs (SEEDS OF BRAVERY: supporting Ukraine’s tech start-up scene and bringing it closer to the EU)

Reporting period: 2025-01-01 to 2025-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Seeds of Bravery is a €20 million project funded by the European Union under the European Innovation Council (EIC) to support Ukrainian tech startups bringing them closer to the EU.
Our mission is to foster diversity, promote the deep tech industry and stimulate hundreds of UA-based innovations benefiting end-users in Europe, Ukraine and beyond, connecting corporates and governments to the benefit of SMEs and individual customers.
Seeds of Bravery (UASEEDs) is powered by a network of 17 partners and 2 associated partners, integrating Ukrainian tech innovators in European markets. We aim to strengthen Ukraine's tech landscape, supporting local entrepreneurs for global success.
Seeds of Bravery will allocate €12 million in non-refundable grants. We will accept applications to the following five different programs that could lead up to €60,000 in total grant.
Unveiling types of support:

1. Business and Innovation Services: Offering grants up to €10,000, focusing on enhancing business models, plans, and growth strategies. Apart from financial support, beneficiaries can also join investors and accelerator communities both in Ukraine and in the EU, access matchmaking activities, and have the opportunity to receive free tickets to attend international tech conferences.

2. Innovative Entrepreneurship: With grants up to €25,000, this program supports business continuity and the establishment of women-led companies. Beneficiaries will also gain access to a wide array of activities, including matchmaking with EU and global tech communities, investor and accelerator networks, a 2-week online Market Fast Track program, and specialized coaching for female entrepreneurs.

3. Deep Tech Incubators: Providing €25,000 for early-stage startups, dedicated to activities like user or demand testing, prototype validation, and other pivotal pre-MVP innovation tasks. Beyond financial support, the program also offers non-financial benefits, that include matchmaking with an expansive EU and global tech community, participation in a Market Fast Track program, entry into a specialized Deep Tech Incubator and access to investors.

4. Rebuild Ukraine: Aiming to rapidly reconstruct postwar Ukraine with grants up to €25,000 for innovative products/services. The program targets tech SMEs and scale-ups with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 7 or higher. It extends its support through matchmaking, Market Fast Track program, Digital and Deep Tech Booster (3-month acceleration & mentorship program), Funding Lab (proposal writing bootcamps and pitch trainings to increase access to funding), Finance Booster (a 4-week investment readiness program), Deep Tech Accelerator and access to a robust network of investors and accelerators.

5. Deep Tech Scale-up and Acceleration: Offering up to €50,000 to scale prototypes successfully piloted and expand market reach for companies with TRL of 7 or higher. Non-financial services include the possibility to receive tech tickets to co-working spaces and relevant conferences and events worldwide, access to investors and accelerators, Market and Legal Lab (legal services for startups entering EU or global markets), Deep Tech Accelerator, Finance Booster, Funding Lab, matchmaking with global tech communities, and a range of specialized labs and programmes (such as Digital and Deep Tech Booster and specialized coaching for female entrepreneurs).

All programs are designed to propel the selected projects to new heights, ensuring they receive the guidance, resources, and networking opportunities needed for success. Non-financial support will be tailored for each beneficiary (the scope of provided services will be determined individually for each tech startup and SME).

All programes were launched and are in good progress.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project is successfully progressing towards its objectives, with several work packages actively carrying out tasks and achieving results.
The project has encountered challenges due to an imbalance in the number of applications received across different streams. This has led to the need for a potential project extension.
Among our key achievements, we can include the launch of five streams for our open calls for funding, with over 1,000 submissions received, the selection of 137 beneficiaries so far and the set up of the process to distribute the funding; the establishment of a Ukrainian and European mentorship network; the successful implementation of support programmes and multiple non financial support services to startups such as the organization of market discovery workshops, demo days, proposal writing bootcamps, pitch trainings, etc.

Information about the progress towards KPIs in each specific objective of the project are shown in Section 1.1 Objectives of the report.

Moreover, Impact Hub Stockholm (IHS) has launched a survey to request more information to startups participating in UASEEDs programmes. The findings presented here draw on data from a standardized survey of 23 startups. This survey captured both qualitative and quantitative insights into the startups’ contributions to social and environmental goals, offering a snapshot of how well current activities align with the project’s expected impacts.
The UASEED project demonstrates a strong impact across social, environmental, economic, and scientific areas. Many participating startups embed social impact goals into their business models, create inclusive job opportunities, and support post-war rebuilding efforts. They also adopt sustainable practices to reduce environmental impact, feature diverse leadership, and strengthen community engagement. By linking scientific research to market applications, the project drives innovation, fosters job creation, and boosts economic development.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Not applicable yet

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