Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurship Programme First-Ever Pitching
From the spark of an idea to comprehensive business plans, Ukrainian women entrepreneurs in Lithuania have embarked on a transformative journey. Ukreate Hub, in collaboration with the Ukrainian-Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce, has been at the forefront of this movement, particularly supporting active Ukrainians residing in Lithuania since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Addressing the lack of opportunities for Ukrainian women to acquire essential entrepreneurial skills, the initiative culminated in the first-ever pitching competition of business ideas under the Ukreate Hub’s ‘Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurship Programme’.
Held at the prestigious Grand Hotel Vilnius, Curio Collection by Hilton, the event saw 29 Ukrainian women presenting their business ideas to a distinguished panel of judges, including:
- Kristina L. Alekniene, CEO and owner of Baltic Accounting Experts
- Aurelijus Šveikauskas, Deputy CEO and Member of the Management Board at European Merchant Bank (EMBank)
- Esfira Zaslavskaite, Board member at UAB VMGcorp
- Roberta Ragaišytė, Adviser at the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania
- Dr. Ruta Ciutiene, Professor at Kaunas University of Technology
The competition was fierce, but the jury identified the top three pitches from the Ukrainian Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme:
Kateryna Serdiuk received 1,000 euros for her project ‘Modern Ethnic Lithuanian Clothing’.
Marina Pilipenko received 450 euros for her project ‘Voice Flow Studio’ (operating offline in Vilnius and online).
Svetlana Kolomeyko received 450 euros for her project ‘Food Gifts’.
Furthermore, the winners became members of the Ukrainian-Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce.
This pioneering event not only highlighted the entrepreneurial spirit of Ukrainian women but also underscored the crucial support provided by Ukreate Hub and the Ukrainian-Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce in fostering economic growth and cultural exchange. As these projects move forward, they symbolise hope, resilience, and the power of cross-cultural collaboration.
A special thank you to the sponsors who contributed prizes for the participants as well as contributed to the financial prize for the best business ideas:
- Western Union
- Ukrainian-Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce represented by the chairwomen of the board Kristina L. Aleknienė
- Atviros Lietuvos Fondas
- Fondia Lithuania
- Aludarių Gildija
- T-Lab Professional
- Erin Gainer – Founder of the Ella Foundation
- Dr. Aušra Rūtelionė
- UAB VMG corp, represented by board member Esfira Zaslavskaitė
- UAB European Merchant bank represented by deputy CEO Aurelijus Šveikauskas
- UAB Baltic accounting experts represented by CEO Kristina L. Aleknienė
- Kauno technologijos universitetas represented by Dr. Rūta Čiutienė
- Embassy of Canada to Lithuania
- International Business Women Network
- Ekonomikos ir inovacijų ministerija