When edtech company Preply became a unicorn earlier this year, working in its Kyiv office celebrate with cake — because you do so, even in the midst of war.
In the four years since Russia fully invaded their country, Ukrainian startups have done more than survive: They’re still building and growing. Preply, for example, will use the proceeds of its latest round hire about 100 engineers across its global teams — including Ukraine, where a third of its engineering staff is based.
Preply is one example among many. Defense technology has received the most attention, especially for the speed with which innovations reach the battlefield. But the same engineering talent and ingenuity emerge as common denominators in all areas that also help strengthen Ukraine.
With Ukraine facing a much bigger aggressor, the country takes a dim view of attempts to escape mobilization. However, startups can get special status that shields key employees from the draft if they are deemed to support the country — and Aspiche is one of them, its founder, Victor Samoilenko, told TechCrunch.
Originally created in the US in 2021, the company completely spun off when the war started. It is now best known for Luminify, a mixed reality platform for mental health care which helps Ukrainians cope with the trauma of war. The startup works directly with military units as well as a dozen clinics that provide mental health support to the population.
There are soldiers and veterans, bereaved families and millions who have moved to western Ukraine or abroad. And for those who have always lived in Kiev, the psychological toll is no less horrific.
“Everyone is suffering,” Samoilenko said. “My daughter has celebrated many New Years and Christmases underground, so the result is huge.”
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In a winter characterized by almost daily attacks on the power grid, the capital of Ukraine has not been spared. According to Natali Trubnikova, CMO at the Kyiv-based IT consulting firm Gart Solutionslocals have adapted to power outages with high-capacity power banks, petrol stoves and diesel generators. But rising costs mean they have to use them sparingly, often keeping interior temperatures to a minimum.
These harsh conditions have turned offices into shelters from the cold.
“Our office has different generators, so we have electricity, internet, and the office is warm and open 24/7 so any member of the Ukraine team can come to the office at any time,” Preply CEO Kirill Bigai told TechCrunch last month.
For smaller startups, coworking spaces have also become havens. LIFT99 Kiev Junctiona six-year space that was damaged since a Russian strike last August, has seen its membership numbers rise since it reopened two months ago, Lada Samarska’s sales and partnerships manager he wrote on LinkedIn.
Despite the missile attacks, Kiev is far enough from the front lines to remain Ukraine’s main launch hub, but it is not the only one. Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, has attracted many displaced Ukrainians – among them tech workers. LEM stationa renovated tram depot turned into a creative space, it is a symbol of its growing ecosystem, which has also benefited from its proximity to the Polish border.
Foreign visitors were fewer, but with Lviv still accessible by train, tech conference IT Arena 2025 brought 6,450 participants from more than 40 countries in the city. Defense technology had its own stage, but the event also featured support for a wider range of startups. Despite the war, VC firms remain active in the country, including 1991, Flyer One Venturesand SMRK.
Despite the long journey, Ukrainians still make the trip to tech conferences abroad. At the TechArena in Stockholm earlier this month, members of a Ukrainian delegation told TechCrunch they were tired and waiting for spring. But before saying goodbye, they began to list The unicorns of Ukraine — because you do so, even in the midst of war.
