The training phase of the Veteran Venture Program from venture builder SKELAR has started in Kyiv. Out of 66 applications, 26 participants were selected for the program; most of them came with ready-made products in the EdTech, AI, and MedTech niches.
The training phase of the Veteran Venture Program from venture builder SKELAR has started in Kyiv. Out of 66 applications, 26 participants were selected for the program; most of them came with ready-made products in the EdTech, AI, and MedTech niches.
The press release notes that the program is implemented within the humanitarian direction of the SKELAR Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Veterans, the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, the Ukrainian Startup Fund, and the Association of ATO Veteran Entrepreneurs.
Veteran startups cover six key areas:
EdTech — 28%
AI / Deep-tech / Predictive — 22%
Marketplaces — 22%
Health / MedTech / VetTech — 11%
Dual-use technology — 11%
FinTech / LegalTech — 6%
Among the projects selected for the Veteran Venture Program are EdTech startups developing SaaS platforms for language schools with built-in AI tools for practice and learning management. There are also marketplaces, including a national pet services platform and an influencer marketing service that connects bloggers and brands.
In addition, veterans are working on cybersecurity solutions that help businesses respond quickly to attacks, and on innovations in MedTech, including the production of personalized prostheses using 3D metal printing.
«This set shows how great the demand is for tech solutions from veterans — EdTech, AI, MedTech, marketplaces. 26 participants were selected, 20% of them already have operating businesses. As part of the Veteran Venture Program, we provide tools: knowledge, mentorship, community, and investments. Everything for veterans to launch and scale successful tech companies,» said Maksym Shtepa, Co-Founder and CEO of SKELAR.
70% of veterans came to the program already with products: 50% have MVPs with first users, 30% have ideas with a clearly described problem and solution, and 20% have a working business with customers. Among them are former and current military personnel with experience in IT, defense, medicine, education, finance, and marketing.
The program involves eight weeks of intensive training — from idea and business model validation to MVP creation and investor presentation preparation. At the end, there will be a Pitch Day in front of investors, after which participants will move on to the mentoring track, and the best projects can attract up to $20,000 in investment along with incubation support.
«According to surveys, 64% of Ukraine’s defenders want to become entrepreneurs after the war. At the front, they quickly get used to making independent decisions and taking responsibility for their own lives and the lives of their comrades. That is why many veterans do not see themselves in hired labor and choose entrepreneurship,» said Serhiy Poznyak, Head of the Association of Veteran Entrepreneurs.
According to surveys by the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, 13% of all military personnel serving at the front are entrepreneurs.
Previously, Ukrainian developers created the «Bashta» platform, which helps find businesses that provide preferential services for veterans. It is dedicated to the memory of serviceman Serhiy «Bashta» Petrenko, who died in a Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka. His mother participated in the development of the service.
