The aim of Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge (PUSB) is to identify the best business ideas and then accelerate them during trainings conducted by experienced experts from Poland. Additionally, young entrepreneurs from across the eastern border of Poland will have the opportunity to establish direct contact with representatives of Venture Capital funds. The project run by the Cooperation Fund Foundation in cooperation with the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy is financed from the program Polish Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
Activity during the war
– For us, as for many, the war in Ukraine became a serious challenge which led to changes in the activity of PUSB. From the first days, we started receiving requests for help from startups that were already involved in our project or were just planning to join us this year. This allowed us to understand exactly what they needed and what support we could give them. This is when the idea to implement PUSB for #techfugees was born. We hope that participation in the initiative will help Ukrainian founders get back on their feet and support their country in rebuilding in the near future – said Łukasz Wawak, project manager of Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge.
The new initiative of the project – PUSB for #techfugees – focuses on startups in the early stages of development (at the so-called pre-seed and seed stage), which are willing and able to temporarily relocate from Ukraine to Poland or have already done so. Among all applicants in June organizers will select 15 teams. While evaluating applications they will pay most attention to the impact on the reconstruction of Ukraine, scalability of business and potential for development on the Polish market.
Selected participants will receive, among other things, financial assistance of up to 10 000 PLN for mentoring services, purchase of goods and services needed to continue their business. Additionally, founders will have access to coworking space in Warsaw, assistance in registering their company in Poland, the opportunity to participate in training and workshops conducted by experts from the startup industry and more. At the end of 2022 there will be Demo Day – an event where startups from Ukraine will present their ideas in front of a group of Polish investors and innovators.
Recruitment for the project lasts until June 6, 2022 and takes place through the registration form available at.
