In spite of the ongoing military operations and continuous decrease of national economics in the six-month period of 2015 there was still observed the tendency of growth of venture investments in IT companies and IT product startups.
The sum of venture investments in Ukraine in 1H 2015 exceeded $10 mln, and upon this approximately 25 public deals were closed.
Recently announced deal of Private Equity - Horizon Capital fund entering the capital of the biggest Ukrainian internet shop Rozetka can be considered as one of the most significant deals of 2015.
Largest deals in the Ukrainian venture capital market (IT sector) in the 1H 2015
| Company / Startup | Short Brief | Sector | Deal Value | Deal Type | Investors | Investor Type | Capital Origin | Date |
| Largest e-commerce in Ukraine | E-commerce | - | Acquisition |
Horizon Capital |
PE | US | July 2015 | |
| Preply | Internet site for the tutors search | Consumer Internet | $120k | Seed | TechStars Berlin | Accelerator | Berlin | July 2015 |
| CourseYard | Service for publishers, learning institutions, сorporate learning and libraries |
Online services | $150k | Seed | GrowthUp, Angels sindicate | Angel | Ukraine | July 2015 |
| GVMachines | The end-to-end home delivery platform for grocers | Consumer Internet | $120 | Later Stage | TechStars | Accelerator | US | July 2015 |
| Kwambio | Platform for designers and users of 3D printing | Consumer Internet | $650k | Later Stage | TechStars, WannaBiz, 2 Anglels, Imperious Group | VC / Accelerator | US | July 2015 |
| Ajax Systems | Security systems and sensors for "smart home". | IoT | $1m | Seed | SMRK VC Fund | VC | Ukraine | June 2015 |
| Skidka.ua | E-commerce and marketplace | Consumer Internet | $250k | Seed | - | Angel | Ukraine | May 2015 |
| Ecois.me | Energy consumption optimization platform | Software | - | Seed | Bas Godska | Angel | Ukraine | May 2015 |
| Coppertino / VOX (coppertino.com) | "VOX" music player and storage | Mobile | $150k | Seed | BeValue | VC | Ukraine | Apr 2015 |
| AdTena | Universal solution for advertisers and Wi-Fi networks owners | Consumer Internet | $60k | Seed | WannaBiz, Detonate Ventures, Zorea Ventures | VC | Ukraine | Apr 2015 |
| Clickky | Automated platform for the promotion of mobile applications | Mobile | $2m | Seed | iTech Capital | VC | Russia | Apr 2015 |
| Augmented Pixels | Augmented reality solution for retail, real estate, marketing and media | Mobile | $1m | Seed | The Hive | VC | USA | Mar 2015 |
| Tatem Games | Leading Ukrainian mobile games devekoper | Mobile | - | Acquisition | Innovecs | M&A | Ukraine | Mar 2015 |
| Nravo | Nravo True Games Studio | Mobile | $200k | Seed | Digital Future | VC | Ukraine | Mar 2015 |
| Newzmate (Traqli) | Email platform for media business Traqli | Consumer Internet | $300k | Seed | Xevin Investments, Bas Godska | VC / Angel | Ukraine, Poland | Mar 2015 |
| Petcube | A home gadget which allows to watch and play with pets using smartphone | Consumer Internet | $1,1m | Seed | AVentures Capital, Almaz Capital | VC | Ukraine, Russia | Mar 2015 |
| Settle | Mobile service of pre-orders in restaurants | Mobile | $1.3m | Round A | SMRK VC Fund | VC | Ukraine | Mar 2015 |
| Kabanchik | A marketplace for outsourcing small tasks to others in the neighborhood | Consumer Internet | - | Acquisition | Prom.ua | Strategic | Ukraine | Feb 2015 |
| Eatsmart.ua | Service booking in restaurants all over Ukraine | Consumer Internet | $110k | Seed | - | Angel | Ukraine | Jan 2015 |
| Wishround | Service on the collective payment for goods and services via the Internet | Consumer Internet | $200k | Seed | BeValue | VC | Ukraine | Feb 2015 |
| Coursmos | Micro-learning platform | Online services | $600k | Seed | Altera Investment Fund, Imperious Group | VC | Russia | Feb 2015 |
| DelFast | Delivery service for stores and customers | Consumer Internet | $250k | Seed | Imperious Group | VC | Russia | Feb 2015 |
| Poptop.fm | Service commissioned artists for the event | Consumer Internet | $30k | Seed | Torben Majgaard | Angel | Ukraine | Jan 2015 |
* Investment database - Largest investment deals in the Ukrainian market in the segment of the venture IT | 2009-2015
The biggest investor in Ukrainian startups during the first six month was SMRK fund. The fund invested $1,3 mln in mobile restaurant preorder service Settle, and then $1 mln in hardware –data transmitters and “smart home” safety systems developer Ajax Systems.
Dovgopolyi thinks that the next step will be investors`activation. The interest of international investors gradually increases. In exchange, Yanika Merilo gives less promising forecasts for 2015. According to her, on the background of current economic situation and problems in the eastern part of the country, it would be hard to keep the present level of investment, and we should only hope for its growth.
Among the companies, the first place in the amount of investments was taken by Clickky project from Odessa. In April iTech Capital fund invested $2 mln in this startup. Clickky is engaged in mobile apps promotion and monetized audience attraction, and became one of the best platforms in the whole Eastern Europe.
Almost half as much was attracted by Petcube startup for their robot for pets. In the first quarter of 2015 start-up raised the seed round of $1,1 mln from Almaz Capital and AVentures Capital.Ukrainian start-up of alternate reality Augmented Pixels raised $1 mln from Californian The Hive fund.
As AVentures Capital managing partner Evgeniy Sysoyev has noted, a few Ukrainian companies raised seven-digit sums during the first six month of 2015 from American investors, and then established a new office in USA.
According to Denis Dovgopolyi, the managing partner of GrowthUP Group, the crisis has a positive influence on the activity of technological companies. Currently, crisis in Ukraine aligned with growth of industry on the global market, and entrepreneurs hastened to take advantage of this unique situation.
