Entrepreneurship Support

Universe Group, a group of product-based IT companies, has partnered with the Genesis for Ukraine charitable foundation and the Ukrainian Catholic University to launch an educational program for veterans with entrepreneurial experience or those who run their own businesses in partnership.

The goal of the project is to support veterans who face the challenge of restarting or scaling their businesses after demobilization. The three best graduates of the program will receive grants to develop their projects.

For us, this project is the beginning of a sustainable mechanism for developing veteran entrepreneurship – a community that will continue to grow after the program ends, sharing experience, supporting each other, and scaling their businesses.

Since 2014, when the war first began, many veteran-led businesses have emerged in Ukraine. With the start of the full-scale invasion, many of them had to pause operations, but they are now rebuilding. According to the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation, more than 60% of veterans want to be self-employed. For them, entrepreneurship is not only a source of income but also a way to regain confidence, build a community around their work, and find a new role in society.

At the same time, this path is full of challenges. Many veterans lack business knowledge, mentoring, and access to experts they can consult. In their search for growth opportunities, they often apply for grants and financial support – but money without skills rarely brings results. It’s like fuel without an engine.

“At Universe Group, we believe that besides developing our own products, it’s important to support social initiatives. We have extensive experience in entrepreneurship that we want to share with those who risked everything for our future. That’s why, when we received the proposal to support the creation of a business education program for veterans together with Genesis for Ukraine and the Ukrainian Catholic University, we immediately agreed,” says Yaroslav Morozov, Founder & CEO of Universe Group.

Large-scale and value-driven projects are possible only through synergy. That’s why partners from different sectors joined forces to strengthen the initiative and provide the best opportunities for those who defended our country.

The Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) has many years of experience in creating educational programs, including one of the best business programs in Ukraine, and has already worked with projects for military personnel. UCU is responsible for designing the curriculum, managing participant selection and coordination, organizing the online learning stage with university lecturers, and hosting the offline practicum in Lviv.

Genesis for Ukraine acts as a bridge between those who need support and those who can provide it. Within this project, they plan and coordinate all stages, ensure effective cooperation between partners, experts, and participants, and oversee deadlines and quality of implementation.

Universe Group, in turn, provided grant funding and strengthened the program with its expertise. Our ecosystem has a strong entrepreneurial culture. We’ve seen how founders grow their businesses and understand the challenges they face. That’s why it’s especially meaningful for us to join an initiative that helps veterans walk this path. Our top managers are directly involved in the program – they give lectures, mentor participants during the offline stage, and remain open to further consultation and support for those building their businesses after service.

Other partners of the initiative include Veteran Hub, the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. Information support is provided by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development, and the national project Diia.Business.

The educational program includes two stages:

• Online training (4 weeks)
  Lectures by UCU professors, Universe Group experts, and guest entrepreneurs
• Offline practicum in Lviv (4 days)
  Group and individual mentoring, business plan development, and final pitch presentations before the jury. As a result, three winners will receive grants of $30,000 / $10,000 / $10,000 from Universe Group. Additionally, UCU will provide participants with free access to one of its online courses and an exclusive program from the UCU Business School.

Key challenges we faced

• Understanding that our vision might differ from the real needs of veterans.
  Before launching the program, we consulted with the Veterans Office, where we received confirmation of our ideas. From there, we moved forward confident that we were creating something truly meaningful. At the same time, we remain open to dialogue and feedback – ready to adjust the format if it increases value for veterans.
• Number of applications
  We received 763 registrations, which became a challenge since the number of available spots was limited. The selection process took time to ensure we chose businesses for which the program would be most relevant.
• Focusing on practical, applicable knowledge
  Our experience with previous UCU veteran programs helped us shape the curriculum. UCU experts already understand which topics and challenges are most relevant to veterans and have adapted the program accordingly.
• Different business stages and industries
  Some participants had just launched their ventures, while others already had stable products and wanted to scale. Businesses ranged from farming and craft production to service and creative industries. The challenge was to create content that would be useful for everyone – principles that can be applied across any business type and stage.
• To overcome these challenges, we worked closely with UCU lecturers and involved experts from various fields, which helped create a balanced program. Speakers tailored their theoretical parts to fit the general needs of participants so that everyone could apply the insights regardless of their business size or focus.
• Making the program useful for every participant
  Together with UCU and Genesis for Ukraine, we didn’t want the training to be static. Our main goal was to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. After each lecture, we sent participants short feedback forms to understand what resonated and what should be improved. This approach allowed us to refine the program in real time – keeping it structured yet flexible.

Results so far

• 763 applications for participation
• 174 motivational letters from candidates
• 39 veteran projects selected for the online stage
• 100+ media mentions (Forbes, NV, AIN, Vector, Ukrinform, etc.)

• Among participants: Masі Naiem, Yana Zinkevych, Denis Kvebek, Stanislav Zorii, Lev Pashko, Vidadi Israfilov, Taras Fitio, and Leonid Fedorovsky
• From UCU, the program featured lectures by Roksoliana Voronovska (Head of UCU Online), Liubomyr Tarnovskyi (Vice-Rector for Finance), and Ihor Blystiv (Director of the MSc in Marketing Management Program at UCU Business School). 
• From Universe Group – Olha Breslavska (CEO of Guru Apps), Dmytro Tsapii (Product Marketing Lead at Wisey), and Ihor Zakutynskyi (CTO at FORMA).
• The online stage is now complete, with 39 veteran entrepreneurs and their partners finishing the course. 

The selection of finalists for the offline practicum is currently underway.

When reviewing applications, we noticed that most candidates were looking for knowledge rather than just grants – and this proved true during the online stage. Around the program, a genuine community of support has formed: participants share contacts, ask for advice, and collaborate even outside of classes.

This project has become an example of how business, academia, and philanthropy can unite around a shared goal – to support those who defended Ukraine and help them develop their businesses.

For Universe Group, this is more than a CSR initiative. It’s about partnership, trust, and responsibility. We’re not just sharing knowledge – we’re co-creating an environment where veteran businesses can grow and drive Ukraine’s new economy