Ukraine's Startup Ecosystem: A roundtable discussion
Join Ron Levin, Managing Partner of the AV Seed Fund, and Senior Associate Bozhena Kulchyckyj — alongside special guests Andriy Kolodyuk, Founding Partner of AVentures Capital; Ali Javaheri, Senior Research Analyst at PitchBook Data; and Deborah Fairlamb, Founding Partner of Green Flag Ventures — for a roundtable on why Ukraine’s startup landscape hasn’t just adapted through war but accelerated, producing world-class engineers, deep-tech unicorns, and one of the most consequential venture opportunities forming outside Silicon Valley today.
In this session, Ron and Bozhena will host a candid conversation with three of the most active investors and analysts working across Ukraine’s tech ecosystem — Andriy Kolodyuk, who pioneered venture investing in Ukraine and now chairs the country’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association; PitchBook’s Ali Javaheri, whose recent report on Ukraine’s defense tech ecosystem has become one of the most substantive investor-facing analyses of the sector to date; and Deborah Fairlamb, who has spent the past decade building venture and innovation infrastructure inside Ukraine. The panel will explore how the war has reshaped one of the world’s most technical ecosystems — from 300K+ tech specialists and $6.45B in annual IT exports, to a new generation of unicorns like Preply, UForce, and Swarmer (the first Ukrainian defense tech company on Nasdaq), to landmark public listings from Firefly Aerospace and Kyivstar.
Whether you’re an accredited investor evaluating emerging venture geographies for the first time, or a current Alumni Ventures member sharpening your view of AI, defense, and dual-use categories, this session will give you a grounded, practitioner-focused look at why Ukraine is functioning as a live lab for the emerging technologies reshaping global venture. Register to hear directly from the founders and investors on the ground — and bring your questions to the live Q&A.
Want to access our AV Seed Fund startup deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Why Attend?
- HomeDiscover why Ukraine's startup ecosystem is producing world-class deep-tech unicorns and public listings — from Preply and UForce to Swarmer, Firefly Aerospace, and Kyivstar — while operating under active war
- HomeUnderstand the three shifts defining the Ukrainian venture landscape today: startups going global from day one, government and ecosystem support at scale, and a venture market where AI and DefenseTech are the fastest-growing categories
- HomeHear directly from Ukrainian investors and analysts on why the country has become a live lab for emerging tech — with shorter feedback loops, harder testing conditions, and iteration at wartime speed
Rated a Top 20 VC Firm by both TIME and CB Insights.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.