“Vidvazhna”: Ministry of Digital Transformation, Diia.Business centers’ network, and Visa launched a visionary business accelerator to support female entrepreneurship in Ukraine

Kyiv, March 1, 2023 - The Diia.Business centers’ network, with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, with the assistance of the global initiative She's Next Empowered by Visa, launched the acceleration project “Vidvazhna” for Ukrainian female entrepreneurs.

“The development of Ukrainian entrepreneurship is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. That is why Diia.Business has been helping Ukrainian men and women develop their businesses for 3 years. In the times of full-scale invasion, the project continues to create new initiatives and opportunities for entrepreneurs. One of them is the “Vidvazhna” acceleration program. The project will unite 5,000 female entrepreneurs in one community and help them get new resources to scale their businesses. We continue to build a country of entrepreneurs,” shared Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

“Supporting female entrepreneurs has always been one of the priority areas of our work, and it is becoming even more important now. After all, amid escalation and uncertainty, an additional economic burden falls on the shoulders of our businesswomen. Building a business in such conditions requires extraordinary courage, and we know for sure that Ukrainian women have it. They do not give up; they plan and develop their projects. And we, together with our partners, strive to support every such initiative, which is why we are launching the visionary female accelerator “Vidvazhna”. This is not just an educational program, this is a platform for partnership and networking, an inclusive community. Each of its participants will be able to create and strengthen her business,” noted Valeriia Ionan, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation for European Integration.

The program is aimed at women who:

• recently started their micro- or small business, or have a startup with an existing prototype of a product or service
• lead a micro- or small business, and have a business plan, but are looking for opportunities for growth, export, entering new market segments
•  want to start a business, have an idea, but don't know where to start
• study at a university and/or represent a female student team with whom they are ready to work on the development of a business idea.

Participants of the “Vidvazhna” accelerator will receive mentoring, training, expert and financial support, as well as form a strong community for sharing experiences, finding partners and new business opportunities. The two best projects in the “Debutante” and “Visionary” nominations will each receive $5,000 in targeted financial assistance for the implementation of business initiatives under the She's Next Empowered by Visa program.

“For many years, Visa has been implementing initiatives aimed at supporting female entrepreneurs on their professional path. Now, amid a deep crisis in the Ukrainian economy, this path has become especially thorny. That is why it was an honor for us to cooperate with our partners from Diia.Business and provide sponsorship to the visionary female accelerator. Data from the latest survey among women business owners in the region of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus show that 85 percent of female entrepreneurs are ready to become part of a community where they can exchange experiences with other women leaders. We believe that our joint project will become such a community that will unite like-minded people dedicated to their work and inspire them to new achievements. Because the power of female communities can transform the world,” commented Svitlana Chyrva, Vice President, Regional Manager in Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova, Visa.

Businesswomen will be able to choose a convenient method of participation: online or offline. The program includes 12 educational modules. Serial workshops for participants have been prepared by representatives of Visa, Silpo, Multiplex, 1991 Accelerator, Grape, Board. Speakers will share their own experiences on how to analyze target audiences, correctly price a product, systematically build a service and reliable partnerships, and scale a business.

The online format involves the participation of 5,000 women regardless of location, experience or stage of business development. To join the program, you can simply fill out the registration form (see below).

The offline format involves preliminary competitive selection based on completed registration forms (detailed rules for participation are available on the website). Training will take place in small groups (8-16 people) on the basis of 10 Diia.Business Entrepreneur Support Centers and will include offline sessions with experts and mentors, practical seminars and homework.

Based on the results of the offline program, a ranking of the participants will be formed. 10 participants will be able to present their projects to the jury. Two more companies will be selected from those who completed the online training. To do this, you need to send a motivation letter and a developed business plan after finishing the last module of the program.

The duration of the program is three months: from March to June 2023. The start of the first module is March 15, 2023. Apply for the program via the link.

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.ua.

About She’s Next Empowered by Visa

The global initiative to support women entrepreneurs who manage, finance and develop their own businesses. Visa supports a range of programs around the world focused on small businesses and women business owners. Through this initiative, Visa aims not only to give women the basic knowledge to start their business, but also to inspire them to conquer new heights, strengthen confidence in their own abilities and develop leadership qualities that can be useful in any field.

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