The initiative will be run jointly with the Science Park of Kyiv Taras Shevchenko University and the Maksymovych Scientific Library.
Kicking off on May 11, the first incubation program will last from three to six months. Young entrepreneurs may apply by sending a 1-minute video presenting their project or themselves.
Unlike many other incubators, ‘California in Ukraine’ does not require participants to have a working prototype.
‘California in Ukraine’ essentially aims to provide young people with recommendations on how to launch a successful tech business step-by-step.
The program features some of the free online courses offered by Y Combinator, Tech Stars, 500 Startups and other renowned organizations, as well as lectures and business cases delivered by experienced entrepreneurs.
Participants are required to pay a fee of just $2. The incubator will not even take a stake in their future company.
“What we are looking for are not startups, but young people with bright ideas and willingness to work, be they experienced or not, with or without a team,” Shoifot wrote on his Facebook page.
Besides Shoifot, the board of directors includes Vitalii Cherniuk, who heads the Science Park at the Taras Shevchenko University, Taras Kirichenko, chairman at Pravex Bank, Zakhar Dikhtyar, CEO at E-COM, Maxim Plakhtiy, managing partner at Karabas.com, and Oleg Serbin, director at the Maksymovych Scientific Library.
