Meet Ukraine’s Technology: A Year of Bravery and Resilience

One year ago, on 24 February, the first russian rockets fell on my native city of Kharkiv. Over this tragic year, many lives were lost and tens of millions of lives were shattered. Ukraine met the unprovoked full-scale invasion with bravery, resolve and skill – this was inspiring to the world! Like the entire country, Ukrainian IT showed incredible bravery, resolve and skill. By May 2022, IT managed to restructure, relocate and adjust to the war realities. It was the only sector of Ukrainian economy that was and is growing despite all odds, bringing revenue in the budget of the devastated nation. Export of IT services were up 5.8%, revenue from IT was up 13%. 

Ukraine has a large, highly educated technical talent pool. The Ukrainian government gives preferential taxation to the IT sector, including 5% personal income tax – which helps to grow the talent, and corporate taxation of 9% exit capital tax or 18% income tax – which helps to grow tech business.  In 2021, Ukraine was the #1 IT outsourcing market in Central and Eastern Europe by the number of engineers. It hosted 110+ multinational R&D centers.

Exactly a year ago, the war changed everything. Part of the engineers joined the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Some IT personnel evacuated from Ukraine. Most companies opened offices in other countries to minimize their operational risks. Drones, communications, cybersecurity, air target recognition and accounting systems became a priority for Ukrainian IT.  The war taught agility and resilience under pressure. It honed the Ukraine’s culture of innovation and speed. Ukraine responded to threats by building communities and sharing resources – being able to help each other. Ukrainian IT companies too unite in communities to share effort and knowledge. These are the community sites where you can find the Ukrainian talent, connect to Ukrainian product and services companies:

IT Ukraine Association 

Ukrainian Tech Ecosystem

Ukrainian IT, like their country a year ago, is largely unknown in the West, but it’s time to pay attention to their ability and talent. Once the horrific news from Ukraine reached the world, donations and support started pouring to the warring nation. I know people who donated the money by buying goods via Spend With Ukraine and telling sellers not to send the goods but keep the money. But Ukrainian sellers want customers to appreciate the quality of “Made in Ukraine.” They want customers to discover the country’s artisanship and inventiveness. The same applies to Ukrainian technology. Don’t just donate – use it, support it, benefit from it. For example, Esper Bionics was on the cover of Time Magazine for one of the best inventions of 2022 – a robotic prosthetic. Do you know that Grammarly and GitLab are made in Ukraine? A Ukrainian started WhatsApp. What Ukraine’s IT needs now is more connections with the world. Offer them your hand – learn about Ukraine’s innovation and talent, host events with Ukrainian companies, invest, or just say hello. 

Слава Україні!