The Ukrainian Startup Fund has announced the launch of a new grant program, Startup EDGE, with a total budget of €1 million aimed at supporting early-stage technology companies. The launch of the program was announced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.
The program is designed to strengthen the competitiveness of Ukrainian startups and accelerate their entry into international markets amid limited access to private capital.
Startup EDGE offers two grant formats:
- €20,000 — for pre-seed startups (hypothesis validation, MVP development, first customers);
- €40,000 — for seed-stage teams (product scaling, market expansion, customer acquisition).
Applications will be accepted until January 21, after which projects will undergo a multi-stage selection process, including pitching sessions and expert evaluation.
The grant program focuses on startups operating in three strategic sectors:
- Deep Tech — artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, biotechnology, and life sciences;
- Green Tech — renewable energy, clean technologies, resource-efficient and climate solutions;
- EdTech — digital education platforms and technologies transforming the learning process.
According to the organizers, these areas offer the greatest potential for long-term value creation and for integrating Ukraine into European technology value chains.
Startup EDGE is implemented by the Ukrainian Startup Fund with the support of the EU4Innovation East project, which is funded by the European Union, co-financed by the French government, and implemented by Expertise France.
This funding structure makes it possible to combine Ukraine’s public support mechanisms with European innovation development tools and access to international expertise.
The Ukrainian Startup Fund was established in 2019 and, prior to the full-scale war, was one of the key early-stage funding institutions, providing $8.2 million in grants to 352 startups.
After February 24, 2022, the Fund’s activities were refocused on DefenceTech and dual-use projects, while civilian programs were effectively suspended. Only in 2024 did the Fund begin gradually restoring funding for civilian technology teams, launching grant programs with a combined budget of $2.5 million.
According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, startup density in Ukraine remains significantly below the European average—around 60 startups per million people compared to approximately 500 in EU countries. The new Startup EDGE program is expected to partially bridge this gap by laying the groundwork for rebuilding Ukraine’s startup ecosystem in the post-war period.
