The third cohort of the Stanford Ignite Ukraine program—an academic program for Ukrainian entrepreneurs focused on business development, scaling companies, and implementing innovations—has concluded at the Stanford Graduate School of Business campus.
Over the course of seven weeks, representatives from businesses and civil society organizations worked on developing their own companies, new approaches to scaling, financial management, strategy, management communication, and final presentations. The program combined in-person training at the Ukrainian Catholic University, an online module, and three weeks of training on the Stanford Graduate School of Business campus.
Among the program participants were graduates of the UCU Business School, including Andriy Bondar, CEO and co-founder of R.Flo, a 2022 graduate of the MSc in Innovations and Entrepreneurship program, and Maksym Lysak, co-founder and Head of Development at the EdTech startup Mate Academy, a graduate of the first Master’s Program in Innovations and Entrepreneurship (MSc in Innovations and Entrepreneurship) in 2014.
The final week on the Stanford GSB campus began with one-on-one meetings, during which participants presented their projects to Yossi Feinberg—director of the Stanford Ignite program and professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business—and received final recommendations ahead of their final presentations.
As part of the final module, participants also had the opportunity to interact with guest speakers and representatives of Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem. In particular, entrepreneur Mike Cassidy shared his experience developing technology companies, while Barry Katz—a Stanford professor and researcher in the history of innovation and design thinking in Silicon Valley—led an informal discussion with participants on entrepreneurship, technology, design, and Ukraine’s role in the global innovation ecosystem.
The week concluded with final presentations that the entrepreneurs had been working on throughout the program—through lectures, hands-on sessions, teamwork, and strategic discussions.
“For us, Stanford Ignite Ukraine is an opportunity to provide Ukrainian small and medium-sized business entrepreneurs with new tools, international connections, and best practices for growing their businesses, so they return home with a fresh perspective on opportunities to scale their companies,” commented the Ideas Center at UCU.
Stanford Ignite Ukraine is designed for Ukrainian entrepreneurs who seek to scale their businesses, implement innovations, and grow. The program provides access to the approaches and business models of the Stanford Graduate School of Business across strategy, finance, marketing, communications, and product development.
The next intake for Stanford Ignite Ukraine is scheduled for September 2026.
Background
Stanford Ignite Ukraine is an academic program of the Stanford Graduate School of Business for Ukrainian entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized businesses. The program is implemented by the Ideas Center of the Ukrainian Catholic University in partnership with the Stanford Graduate School of Business, with support from the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, UCU Business School, and the Ukrainian Startup Fund.
The program lasts 8 weeks in a hybrid format and consists of three stages: one week on the UCU campus in Lviv, four weeks of online learning, and a final three weeks on the Stanford GSB campus in California. Participants with over 3 years of experience and a staff of 8 to 249 employees learn through the “Learning by Doing” method, gaining access to the knowledge of leading faculty members, including Nobel laureates, and presenting their projects to Silicon Valley investors.
In total, participants from both cohorts increased their companies’ sales by $58.7 million after completing the program. Additionally, the entrepreneurs attracted over $21.12 million in new investments, which enabled them to scale their businesses and create 523 new jobs.
