Ukrainian Startups That Have Successfully Attracted Many Investors and Conquered the World

• Home
• Blogs
• Ukrainian Startups That Have Successfully Attracted Many Investors and Conquered the World

In 2023, only in the USA, 5.5 million new businesses (startups) were officially registered. Each of these projects is a unique idea that can change people's lives and benefit humanity.

However, not every new startup has a chance for success and sustainable development. In 2022, 47% of startups ceased to exist due to a lack of investment, and 44% because the founders exhausted their own financial resources.

It turns out that to successfully navigate the path from launching a startup to making a profit, it takes several years and significant investments. Having a unique idea and a cohesive team increases the chances of attracting investors' attention and securing funding.

There are currently around 1,200 startups valued at over $1 billion. The top five startups in the world include ByteDance ($220 billion), SpaceX ($150 billion), Shein ($100 billion), Stripe ($50 billion), and Canva ($40 billion).

Ukrainian startups are also among the world's leaders.

Ukraine holds a prominent position among the global leaders in the startup industry. Worldwide, there is great recognition of Ukrainian startups that have already become powerful businesses: GitLab, Grammarly, Ajax Systems, People.ai, MacPaw, Preply, Petcube, and others.

Today, we will look at several successful startups from Ukraine that have achieved success not only within the country but also beyond its borders.

GitLab is a platform that facilitates developer collaboration and allows teams to jointly plan, create, secure, and deploy software. GitLab's clients include over 100,000 companies: Qualcomm, NASDAQ, NASA, CERN, Alibaba, SpaceX, IBM, and others. In 2021, this Ukrainian startup ranked 1st in Mind's 'Top 10 Ukrainian Startups by Investment,' raising $801 million in its IPO.

Mate Academy is an online education platform that helps individuals master modern IT specialties. Students can study for four months, and the tuition is a percentage of their future salary. After securing a job, Mate Academy graduates must pay 17% of their salary for two years. In 2021, this educational Ukrainian startup received $1.9 million in investments.

Calmerry is an online psychotherapy platform. It offers several service packages that allow clients to communicate with a therapist via text or voice messages, or schedule video sessions if desired. The minimum subscription cost is $42 per week. Calmerry currently has tens of thousands of clients and over 600 therapists. At the launch stage, this startup received $5 million in investments.

Grammarly is a Ukrainian startup founded in 2009. This AI-powered online platform helps users improve the quality of their written communication in English based on criteria such as correctness, clarity, and overall tone. The total amount of investments raised by 2019 was $200 million. In November 2021, the company announced a new round of investments totaling $200 million. In 2020 and 2021, Forbes included the Ukrainian startup Grammarly in its Cloud 100 ranking.

Petcube is a unique Ukrainian startup founded in 2012. The company produces gadgets for pet owners. The device features a wide-angle camera, laser pointer, microphone, and speaker. It connects to the home Wi-Fi network and allows owners to see, talk to, and play with their pets via smartphone. In October 2013, this Ukrainian startup launched a campaign on Kickstarter, raising $100,000 within a week. By the end of the campaign, Petcube had raised $251,000, becoming the most successful Ukrainian project on Kickstarter. In October 2017, the project secured $10 million from venture funds Almaz Capital, AVentures, and the Y Combinator business incubator.

Ukrainian startups have every chance of success not only within the country but also worldwide. If you have creative and ambitious ideas that can make the world a better place, are ready to work hard, and are not afraid to take risks, now is the time to create your own startup.

The Instacs platform is designed to help you find funding, investments, and expert support. Register now to start making Ukraine and the world a better place today.

Autors:

• Dmytro Maksymiv — founder and CEO of Instacs;
• Diana Petryk — SMM manager;
• Oleksii Ulianovskyi — writer.

References:

1. Commerce Institute, How Many New Businesses Are Started Each Year? 2024 Data Reveals the Answer
2. Linkedin.com, The current state of startups in 2023
3. Crunchbase, The Mixed State Of Startup Funding In 2024, In 11 Charts
4. DomainWheel, Startup Statistics for 2024: Key Facts, Trends and Insights
5. ucluster.org, Українці для американців: як допомагає стартап Calmerry | Digital Health
6. thepage.ua, Від біонічних протезів до інноваційної освіти. Найцікавіші українські стартапи 2021 року