As part of the “CREATE!” grant program aimed at developing businesses in manufacturing and processing sectors, 65 Ukrainian women entrepreneurs received grants of up to $15,000, which were directed towards scaling their businesses. With this support, they were able to optimize and automate their productions, enter new markets, create jobs, improve quality, and expand their product lines.
The grantees of the “CREATE!” program, launched by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with financial support from UMAEF and implemented by the KSE Foundation with compliance support from Oschadbank and expert evaluation by the KSE Graduate Business School, were 65 Ukrainian women. These include founders, managers, and owners of small and medium-sized businesses.
The total budget of the initiative, focused on scaling and developing women-led manufacturing businesses in Ukraine, was $1,000,000. Each winner received a personal grant of up to $15,000, which allowed them to purchase necessary equipment for the development of their business. Thanks to this support, winners of the “CREATE!” program bought over 200 units of specialized equipment, with the number of units per business ranging from 1 to 15 items.
Among the purchased equipment were laser and milling machines, refrigeration and freezing chambers, dispensers, painting booths, sewing and embroidery machines, and other specialized machinery. Each piece of purchased equipment has a justified plan aimed at increasing efficiency and scaling production, including entering foreign markets, which directly impacts the overall economic growth of the country.
Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine:
“Our goal is to increase the share of the processing industry in the GDP structure to 20% within the next 10 years. To achieve this, the state is investing in the development of domestic production, working on attracting investment into the real sector, and expanding non-resource exports. This will create new jobs and additional budget revenues, which will then be directed towards supporting the security and defense sector. We are creating conditions for producing high value-added goods in the country, making it profitable to invest in manufacturing and export processed products.”
Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine:
“The ‘CREATE!’ grant program is an important element of the government’s ‘Made in Ukraine’ policy, aimed at transitioning the economy from raw materials to processing. In 2015, the McKinsey Global Institute calculated that if women were as involved in the labor market as men, global GDP would increase by 26% by 2025. Therefore, the involvement of women in the labor market, providing them access to grant programs, and other opportunities for creating and scaling businesses undoubtedly positively impacts the economic recovery, stability, and development of the country.”
Among the winners of the “CREATE!” program were Anna Shevtsiv, the owner of a machine-building factory, Olga Lekova, the founder of a furniture manufacturing company made from recycled plastic, Yulia Shapovalova, co-owner of a camper production company, Natalia Zavhorodnia, the director of a casting and mechanical factory in Pokrovsk, Svitlana Chub, the founder of a herbal tea farm, and 60 other Ukrainian female entrepreneurs. A full list of winners is available via a link.
In the first few months of implementing the grant funds, winners were able to increase their production capacities.
For example, Irina Maiorova, the owner of the speech therapy toy manufacturing company “Vymova,” shared that her production capacity grew by 170%, and Oksana Moroz, the founder of the pet furniture manufacturing company “Petso,” saw an increase of 150%. According to a survey, over a third of the winners increased their production capacities by 30-50%.
Olena Yatsenko, co-owner of the honey production company “Yourbee_honey,” also emphasizes the increase in her brand’s production capacity thanks to the “CREATE!” initiative.
“The grant helped us purchase necessary production equipment, including a cremation machine and a dispenser for packaging products, which led to a 135% increase in production capacity and a threefold increase in the production of creamed honey. Now, we produce almost 300 liters of creamed honey per month, and the company’s income has doubled,” Olena explains.
“Thanks to the equipment purchased with the grant support, we were able to increase our production capacity by 70%. This was possible by increasing the volumes of marshmallow production,” says Tetiana Boyko, the manager of the Tasty Jar craft marshmallow and freeze-dried fruit production.
The “CREATE!” initiative has helped the winning businesses not only increase production capacity but also contributed to the growth in sales, the expansion, and improvement of product ranges. As a result, the majority of winning enterprises increased their sales by 15-30%, and in some cases, this figure reached 100%, as in the case of Veronika Tolkachova, the owner of “Family Bakery,” and Yulia Klyuchkovska, the founder of “Holy Mamas Underwear” lingerie brand. On average, the use of grant funds also contributed to an increase in the volume of products manufactured by the winners.
Olena Foya, the owner of the autonomous sewage system production company “Stroyseptik,” says, “With the grant funds, we purchased rebar and metalworking machines, as well as specialized high-frequency concrete vibrators. This helped us minimize manual labor and automate most of the production processes, which improved the quality of the products, increased their quantity, and reduced the cost. Our sales have increased by 25%.”
The “CREATE!” program also helped increase and optimize production for Natalia Chovhan, the entrepreneur behind “Techmontazh,” specializing in the manufacturing and installation of elevators.
“The ‘CREATE!’ program allowed us to purchase a powder coating spray booth and its accessories, which helped us optimize production, and the company reached the milestone of producing 300 elevators in record time,” Natalia says.
The “CREATE!” grant also enabled Olena Khatmullina, the owner of the sublimated food production company “Pojyva,” to expand her product range.
“We bought new production equipment: a sublimator, convection oven, and conveyor, which allowed us to optimize production and increase labor productivity by 40%, as well as increase production volumes by 20%,” shares Olena.
Svitlana Denysenko, director of the KSE Foundation, says:
“Each of the winners is unique, and their fields of activity are radically different—from cosmetics, confectionery, clothing, and jewelry to construction and electrical engineering products. The ‘CREATE!’ grant funds were directed toward scaling businesses, particularly by purchasing new, more advanced, and technological equipment. This not only helped participants increase production volumes but also made businesses more environmentally responsible by saving energy, minimizing waste, and so on. I consider this one of the common trends among the presented business projects.”
The approach to sustainable development is also supported by Tetiana Kanska, the winner of “CREATE!” and director of “Termoplast-T,” a company that produces plastic components. She managed to reduce energy consumption by nearly a third:
“With the grant funds, we bought a new dryer, crusher, and vacuum loader, which allowed us to not only expand production but also save up to 30% on energy,” Tetiana shares.
Olga Lekova, the founder of the recycled plastic furniture company “Recast Plastic,” also talks about her sustainable approach:
“Our business was created based on the principles of a circular economy. The new equipment has helped us add some capabilities to the business, such as making product prototypes without using the main equipment. Additionally, thanks to the grant, we installed additional dust collection systems so that production waste can be reused,” says Olga.
Yaroslava Z. Johnson, President and CEO of UMAEF, adds:
“The uniqueness of Ukrainian women’s entrepreneurship lies in the combination of courage, creativity, and extraordinary resilience. For example, Anna Kazanska, the winner of ‘CREATE!’ and owner of the FastAR Kids publishing house, creates interactive books with augmented reality elements. And Maria Yakush, the founder of the glass products brand “YAKUSH,” creates handmade tableware and decor from eco-friendly materials using the ancient glassmaking technology that dates back to the 15th century. Ukrainian female entrepreneurs often take on multifunctional roles, building businesses that support local communities, create jobs, and contribute to the economic development of the country. Furthermore, they actively use innovations and technologies to enter international markets, all despite limited resources. This ability to overcome challenges and focus on long-term success creates a unique portrait of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs worldwide.”
Participation in the “CREATE!” program helped the winners enter new markets, both in Ukraine and abroad. They were able to attract new domestic and foreign dealers and distributors and present their products on international markets, including in the USA, Belgium, Poland, Turkey, France, Spain, the Czech Republic, and other countries.
For example, Yana Ibadullayeva, the founder of the “Bee&Tea Kombucha” beverage brand, began supplying products to all regions of Ukraine in the “Silpo” supermarket chain starting in April, while Anastasia Burzi, the co-owner of the “Wood Mood” candle production company, presented new products on the US market, and Liliya Litkovskaya-Danyliuk, the founder of the “Litkovskaya” fashion brand, secured two major clients from Japan and South Korea.
Olena Zvarych, co-founder of “Fix Street Furniture,” a street furniture and lighting company, shared:
“The ‘CREATE!’ grant helped us expand our sales market across Ukraine—we established deeper cooperation with cities not only in the West but also in central and southern regions. Export markets are currently in the process of negotiations, and we are forming strategies for entering 5 countries.”
Oleksandra Vakaro, the founder and co-owner of “Bark&Go,” a pet apparel company, adds:
“After participating in the ‘CREATE!’ grant program, we increased the number of distributors thanks to improved product quality. We are now also in negotiation processes regarding three new contracts: China, Hong Kong, and South Korea.”
Thanks to the grant, some businesses became more autonomous and were able to stop using contractors. Among these businesses is EliTerm, a designer radiator manufacturing company co-owned by the winner of “CREATE!” Olga Dragel, and the jewelry brand “MOTRYCH STUDIO,” founded by entrepreneur Kateryna Motrych.
“The ‘CREATE!’ grant helped us expand our workshop, which provided independence in our production processes,” says Kateryna.
Maria Havryliuk, co-founder of the “Gunia Project” brand, also noted that the company was able to stop using contractors:
“Thanks to new production capacities, we were able to start manufacturing and developing new collections based on our own resources, which significantly improved the quality and speed of our work,” says Maria.
Most of the winners of the “CREATE!” program were able to create new jobs, with the average number being 2-3 new jobs per business.
All of the “CREATE!” winners noted that the grant also had an additional impact on their businesses. According to a survey, key indicators included new partnerships, an expanded network of contacts, emotional engagement and motivation of employees, social trust from partners and clients, additional advertising, and increased brand/company recognition.
Oleksandra Osipova, co-owner of the craft chocolate manufactory “Sisters.A.Chocolate,” shares:
“The ‘CREATE!’ grant became a source of inspiration not only for our team but also for our clients. Many of them noted that our story of receiving support motivates them to develop their own projects and believe in the possibilities of scaling their businesses. This support has also strengthened trust in our brand because it confirms that we are developing steadily and investing in quality and technology. This contributes to the expansion of our partner network and increased customer loyalty.”
The “CREATE!” grant program has overall become a true window of opportunities for Ukrainian women who aspire to grow their businesses. It not only fosters economic activity but also shapes a new portrait of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs on the global stage.
Additional:
The “CREATE!” grant program was launched by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with financial support from UMAEF and implemented by the KSE Foundation. It is carried out in partnership with Oschadbank.