Вікторія Горбік That's Life 23 December 2024, 09:00

“It is important to add to the cluster those who are ready to take concrete steps, and not just be a list-keeper.” The new head of the Kyiv IT cluster on future and current changes in the community and what needs to be worked on now

The idea for this interview was born spontaneously when the girls approached dev.ua CEO Stas Yurasov at this year’s IT Arena with a question — is he the same person who now heads the Kyiv IT cluster? We became curious — who is this mysterious leader who currently oversees the association of capital’s tech companies?

After several attempts, dev.ua managed to contact and talk to Serhiy Yashchuk, who became the CEO of Kyiv IT Cluster in September. He told how he became the head of the Kyiv cluster, what has changed in the organization since the start of the full-scale invasion, what requests cluster members make, what tasks the organization sets for itself for 2025, and what businesses can expect in the near future.

About the new manager and his entry into the position

35-year-old Serhiy Yashchuk has built a strong professional background over the past decade. In particular, he worked as an auditor at the international consulting company KPMG, then he had experience in reporting and auditing in the real sector, and later his financial background grew into a general operational one. So in 2016, Serhiy Yashchuk joined a then-startup with coworking at the Art Factory «Platforma» in Kyiv with 500 meters of space.

«Coworking and development are an integral infrastructural part of city life, which is largely connected to technological life,» he adds.

Serhiy Yashchuk, CEO of Kyiv IT Cluster (Community photo)

It was thanks to «Platforma» that in 2016 he met Maksym Dybenko, co-founder of Kyiv IT Cluster. Initially, Serhiy, representing «PLATFORMA coworking», participated in cluster projects as a partner and active participant. And when the then cluster manager Victoria Zhurbas changed her place of residence and her professional focus to European markets, it was he who was offered the position of manager by the cluster team.

«I see a positive in the fact that we will not have a conflict of interest between the goals of KyivITCluster’s activities and my direct activities as CEO of PLATFORMA, but on the contrary, the interests of the cluster and the development of ecosystem interaction will be at the forefront,» noted Serhiy Yashchuk.

One of Serhiy’s personal priorities is also the organization of charity events, which PLATFORMA, in partnership with other co-owners of charity evenings, including KyivITCluster, organizes for fundraising for divisions and humanitarian organizations.

Also on social networks, Serhiy can be seen with a weapon in his hands. Shooting is one of his hobbies and state of mind. Serhiy considers it one of the directions of social work, facilitating charitable training for civilians with weapons from SSK MullerArms. Several representatives of the technology sector with whom the cluster cooperates came from there. On the other hand, Serhiy Yashchuk calls his passion for weapons an echo of his civic position.

«I think that Ukraine is in a state where people should understand what weapons are, and in general, free people should have weapons,» notes the head of the Kyiv IT cluster.

In addition, according to him, it is a cool meditation and good psychological preparation for what may await all Ukrainians not today or tomorrow, in particular, mobilization.

How the new leader accepted the cluster

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Kyiv IT cluster has objectively had fewer manifestations and opportunities to implement the union’s tasks, which was reflected in the cluster’s activity. After taking office, Serhiy Yashchuk needed some time to conduct an audit of the organization’s activities, consultations with current and potential participants of the organization for 2025. He also noted that the interaction between representatives of Ukrainian clusters is at a rather low formal level.

«There are contacts between organizations, but they are quite local, related to specific events, that is, I unfortunately do not see any specific constructive directed work,» the head noted.

Igor Arkhipenko Chairman of the board (Photo Kyiv IT Cluster)

However, Serhiy is confident that the Ukrainian community and clusters will come to this. According to him, only by uniting disparate initiatives will the participants of the tech sector be able to create and move forward the innovative sector. This is what will help change the positions of both the Kyiv region and Ukraine as a whole as a player on the global stage. And he began to move in this direction himself, leading the Kyiv tech community.

Serhiy Yashchuk took up the position in September 2024, and for the first time wore the badge of the head of the capital’s cluster at this year’s IT Arena. The goal was to collect the requests that exist in the community and meet with a fairly large number of people in one place.

«The visit to IT Arena was a great opportunity to meet representatives of Kyiv IT, who are the majority of conference guests in one place, in Lviv,» recalls Serhiy Yashchuk and summarizes the benefit of this trip for the cluster leader at 50%. The cluster leader mostly explains this by the fact that he had to spend a lot of time and refocus the interlocutors from questions about past events in the cluster to a constructive conversation about what can be done together. Currently, this, according to him, has become the main goal.

About quantitative indicators and statistics

Kyiv IT Cluster was founded in November 2015. The number of cluster participants was publicly announced in 2017 — the cluster included 24 medium and small IT companies. In September 2023, Viktoriya Zhurbas, who has been managing the cluster since 2020, reported that the number of participants has not changed since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. But, as she said then, she will be able to announce a specific figure only after the analysis of the participants is completed.

In a conversation with dev.ua, Serhiy Yashchuk said that this year about 70 participants were registered in the cluster. However, he noted that he would not want to be guided by this figure. «I am sure that most of our participants will be open to continued cooperation, but I personally come to each one and we talk about 2025 and specific plans for the future,» he noted. According to the new head, in late December — early January a list of participants who will be ready to leave in 2025 will be formed.

The cluster reported that the Kyiv community is the only IT cluster in Ukraine that accepted not only legal entities but also individuals as participants. Serhiy Yashchuk noted that at some point, a decision was made that both corporate and individual representatives could be participants in the cluster. «We will be happy to interact and provide an opportunity for individuals to represent themselves as members of the community. It is important for us to add to the cluster those who are ready to take concrete steps, and not just be list-holders,» Serhiy Yashchuk emphasized.

About the cluster team

The core team of the Kyiv Cluster currently consists of 5+ people. And all of them work on a volunteer basis without salary.

«Now this is sincerely an initiative of everyone who wants to create value. However, everything that will be agreed upon regarding further activities must have clear budgeting, understanding and transparent use of resources, etc.,» he emphasized.

Andriy, Manager of Kyiv IT Cluster, Head of Kyiv IT Events (Photo of Kyiv IT Cluster)

In addition, as Serhiy noted, the cluster is also supported by the Platform team. Its members support the organization of offline events and help with the placement program or full-fledged soft landing for cluster participants. There are also other partnership areas, teams of cluster members that create a certain value, for example, in the development of a new website and others.

About conditions, participants and urgent matters

Anyone involved in IT can join the cluster.

«We agreed with the cluster team to make the entry conditions for 2025 as simple and relatively low as possible,» the community leader said.

According to him, participants will be offered an annual subscription equivalent to:

$1000 for corporate participants,
$500 for individuals.

«Future participants may have certain individual requests, if they combine specific emphases, or offer in-depth consultations or other interaction with the cluster, then, accordingly, the conditions may differ,» added Serhiy Yashchuk.

Vlad, Supervisory board member (Photo Kyiv IT Cluster)

In addition, not only Kyiv residents can join the Kyiv IT cluster, as the community leader says, the team does not set any geographical restrictions. At the same time, according to the head of the union, the main criterion for such a potential participant should be the desire to contribute to the development of IT in the Kyiv region and effective interaction with both the capital organization and other cluster participants.

One of the functions and reasons why companies in the industry unite into sectoral formations is industry representation and lobbying for the interests of the IT segment as a whole. As the head of the union notes, this is also what the participants of the Kyiv cluster expect.

«Currently, an excellent example of dialogue between the IT sector and the state is the communication of the Ministry of Digital Affairs under the leadership of Mykhailo Fedorov with representatives of the IT industry, and we as an organization will in every way support such a dialogue and represent our participants in it,» noted Serhiy Yashchuk.

What are they planning to do in the cluster?

Serhiy sees the development of the cluster not only as a community, but also the revitalization of the system itself in the right strategy that the team has chosen for 2025. Among the steps they have identified:

Ecosystem work in general and competent moderation among cluster participants.
Provide a space where market participants can meet, work together, and find new opportunities for collaboration. This is already working in the cluster as a direction of Kyiv IT Center with the support of PLATFORMA.
Cooperation with chambers of commerce and use of personal business contacts to promote the attraction of international investments and the integration of new foreign companies into the Kyiv market.
Soft lending services, legal advice, financial support and other assistance to union members.
Kyiv IT Events will become the main aggregator of events for the entire region. The cluster team aims to overcome the fragmentation of the Kyiv IT market and create a platform that unites all players, from startups to corporations. It will be a place where ideas, knowledge and resources will meet: from breakfasts and meet-ups to hackathons and large conferences. «Interaction instead of competition is our priority,» Serhiy Yashchuk emphasized.
Stimulating the export of services of Ukrainian IT companies, which was identified in the cluster as the Kyiv IT Export direction, in particular, through diplomatic missions and separate exhibitions that will provide an opportunity to unite companies at stands and represent them on the international stage, entering Europe, the USA, and the Middle East.
Training of personnel, or the KYIV IT SKILLS direction, involves creating joint programs with universities, launching accelerators for startups and supporting free online courses for youth. Educational initiatives, according to the cluster head, will allow developing talents that will become the basis for the restoration of our economy and its further growth. In particular, interaction has already taken place with the laboratory based on KPI with the Infopulse company, and consultations are currently underway with project teams from KAI (NAU) and Kyiv University named after Taras Shevchenko in order to ensure their development and direct integration into the local IT market. «This is not only our responsibility, but also an investment in the future. The goal is to provide companies with competent personnel while still at university, and students with a place for the practical application of their talents,» emphasizes Serhiy Yashchuk.

The head of the Kyiv IT cluster separately emphasized that the union should create conditions that will motivate young people to see their future in Ukraine. «So that the next generation feels like a part of Ukrainian IT and is proud of it, and not create barriers that limit their development or planning their own future in terms of social, business and security aspects,» Serhiy Yashchuk emphasized.

About the future

To ensure stability and further development in turbulent times, Serhiy Yashchuk advises any business, including IT:

Be prepared for any turn of events: plans are good, but it is important to have mobility and the willingness to make decisions quickly.
Work here and now: without waiting for better times and scenarios, work with what is available, make the most of current realities, and invest in development.
Value people and invest your resources in them: support, mentor, and create values with them that they will pick up and carry into their lives.
To not be limited by commerce and always have a larger, inspiring purpose.

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