From grant program to entrepreneurship: Ukreate Hub Continues to Empower Ukrainian Women
From grant programs to starting own business: Ukreate Hub continues to fulfil its mission of creating opportunities for development and self-realisation for Ukrainian women in Lithuania. We tell the stories of the participants of two major Hub programs and share their experiences of how ideas turn into concrete business projects.
‘I received Ukreate Hub grant to implement my project (“Conscious Steps of Mothers Towards Entrepreneurs”), understood and saw how my idea worked in practice, and realised that I needed to do something about it… I needed the Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurs programme to see the next action plan, to transform the idea (from the grant programme) into numbers and steps,’
says Yulia Mudryk, a participant of the Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurship program and one of the winners of the season 2 of the Grant Program
Yulia Mudryk at the Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurs Program. Photo by Nail Garejev.
“Even with my business experience, the programme reminded me of the marketing basics I had long forgotten. I learned how to write a business plan and finally count the numbers in it. I also learned how to pitch.”
Yulia is spending her summertime preparing for the launch of her own business already this autumn.
‘When I became a mother myself, I founded a club for mothers and it showed me that young mothers need not only the support of society, but also self-identification and developing themselves as professionals.’
Yulia Mudryk at the Final Pitching of the Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurs Program. Photo by Nail Garejev
‘As a mother myself, I understand that this is a very difficult thing to do… especially when you want to start a business or just develop. That’s why you need support. And knowing from myself, knowing from the mothers I’ve worked with, I know that there is a great demand for support because there is not enough of it… Therefore, I believe that it is thanks to such events that we can feel that we are not alone, that there are always people who are ready to help, whether morally or physically, and then there is much more strength to move on. Moreover, I not only know this in theory, I have seen how it works.’ – adds Yulia.
Participants of the program ‘Conscious Steps of Mothers Towards Entrepreneurship.’ Photo from Yulia Mudryk’s archive.
Maryna Pylypenko, an active member of Ukreate Hub community since its inception, reflects on her journey within Ukreate:
‘The idea for the Grant Programme naturally turned into the idea for the Women Entrepreneurship programme… I didn’t win in the first grant season, then I worked hard, talked, got a lot of advice… and when I received grant support in Season 2, I felt that grants are complicated, it takes a lot of time. But now I have experience. I realised that I needed to create some kind of commercial activity… and I understood that my grant idea needed to be turned into commercial services. For me, studying at the Women Entrepreneurs Programme was very useful, even vital. Since I have more of a creative background, I was wondering how entrepreneurship is built. I am still moving in this direction, but the programme itself structured me, made me realise that I need to do the maths, make business plans and how important it is…’
Maryna Pylypenko at the Final Pitching of the Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurs Program. Photo by Nail Garejev.
Maryna’s project idea, “The Sounding of Ukrainian Women,” which gathered more than 200 online participants from all over the world to explore theoretical and practical methods of self-expression through singing, evolved into a concrete business project: “Vocal Online and Offline School.” This business idea also received recognition from the jury members during the pitching event for the Ukrainian Women Entrepreneurs programme.
She developed her own unique methodology – “Vocal Open Dialogue” – that combines vocal practices and community building. Using this method Maryna offered to her clients regular offline groups and one-day on-site trainings for developing the voice, accepting one’s voice, receiving resources from music and singing, and joint creativity.
“Sounding group”. Photo from Maryna Pylypenko’s archive.
‘Ukreate Hub believes in the power of every individual and that through supporting them with necessary financial resources, providing trainings that fill in certain gaps, we enable each individual to create a ripple positive effect on society around them. Each of supported project idea or business idea has an enormous potential if nurtured in the right environment, and this is what we are striving to do at Ukreate Hub‘
