Meet the winners of Talents For Ukraine by the KSE Foundation — those who are not afraid to dream and take action!
⭐️Yaroslav Usenko — founder and CEO of Strike Sense, a company developing innovative acoustic sensors for the military. He combines the experience of a warrior and an engineer, transforming the challenges of war into technological solutions that save lives. Yaroslav designs advanced systems to enhance safety on the battlefield, is involved in a startup ecosystem with an international dimension, and participates in Ukrainian defense technology programs while collaborating with European partners. He leads the startup’s scaling efforts and lays the foundation for YARUS Corporation, which unites innovative dual-use projects.
“Thoughts, feelings, and actions are not enemies. They are elements of a single cycle aimed to assist you,” Yaroslav emphasizes.
⭐️Anna Ivanenko — illustrator, comic artist, designer, and co-founder of the Serii/Graf studio. She has been working in the field of visual arts for over 10 years, specializing in storytelling across various media: from book illustration and comics to exhibition design and animation. She has collaborated with The New Yorker, The Guardian, and The Economist, and her works have been exhibited in more than 60 exhibitions worldwide. Anna is an award-winning artist, educator, and co-author of a course at Projector. Currently, she is working on a graphic novel and the game Hedenite, which explores themes of memory, city, and postcolonial identity.
“Passion is a nourishing force. If you stop marveling and being curious about new things, consider that you are stripping the colors from life,” Anna notes.
⭐️Mariia Yaremak is a Ukrainian composer, pianist and arranger. She collaborates with films, theatres, orchestras, artists and international projects in Europe, the United States and Ukraine. Her music has been performed on stages across Europe and America, including at a Royal Gala Dinner in the UK, Ukraine’s Eurovision selection and the Atlas United festival. Since 24 February 2022, she has co-organised and performed at dozens of charity concerts in the UK, France, the US, Germany, Austria and Ireland. She was an ambassador for Creative Youth charity organisation (UK) and a nominee for the Women in Art: Resistance award from the Ukrainian Institute and UN Women.
“If something seems impossible, break it down into the smallest steps. Most often, it is much more achievable than it seems,” comments Mariia.
More about the Talents For Ukraine winners
