When edtech company Preply became a unicorn earlier this year, employees in its Kyiv office celebrated with cake — because that’s what you do, even in the middle of a war.
In the four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of their country, Ukrainian startups have done more than survive: They are still building and growing. Preply, for instance, will use the proceeds of its latest round to hire some 100 engineers across its global teams — including in Ukraine, where one-third of its engineering staff is based.
Preply is one example among many. Defense tech has grabbed the most attention, especially for the speed at which innovations reach the battlefield. But the same engineering talent and ingenuity are emerging as common denominators across sectors that also contribute to strengthening Ukraine.
With Ukraine facing a far larger attacker, the country takes a dim view of efforts to escape mobilization. However, startups can be granted special status that shields key employees from the draft if they are deemed to support the country — and Aspichi is one of them, its founder, Victor Samoilenko, told TechCrunch.
Originally created in the U.S. in 2021, the company completely pivoted when the war started. It is now best known for Luminify, a mixed-reality platform for mental health care that has been helping Ukrainians cope with wartime trauma. The startup collaborates directly with military units as well as with a dozen clinics that provide mental health support to the population.
There are soldiers and veterans, bereaved families, and millions who have moved to western Ukraine or abroad. And for those who have always lived in Kyiv, the psychological toll is no less horrendous.
“Everybody is suffering,” Samoilenko said. “My daughter celebrated several New Year’s and Christmas underground; so the effect is enormous.”
In a winter marked by near-daily attacks on the power grid, Ukraine’s capital hasn’t been spared. According to Natali Trubnikova, CMO at Kyiv-based IT consultancy firm Gart Solutions, locals have adapted to power cuts with high-capacity power banks, gasoline stoves, and diesel generators. But rising costs mean they still have to use these sparingly, often keeping indoor temperatures to a strict minimum.
These harsh conditions have turned offices into refuges from the cold.
“Our office has different generators so we have electricity, internet, and the office is warm and it’s open 24/7 so any Ukrainian team member can come to the office at any time,” Preply CEO Kirill Bigai told TechCrunch last month.
For smaller startups, coworking spaces have also become havens. LIFT99 Kyiv Hub, a six-year-old venue that suffered damage from a Russian strike last August, has seen its membership numbers surge since its reopening two months ago, its sales and partnership manager Lada Samarska wrote on LinkedIn.
Despite missile strikes, Kyiv is far enough from the frontline to remain Ukraine’s main startup hub, but it is not the only one. Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, has drawn many displaced Ukrainians — tech workers among them. LEM Station, a renovated tram depot turned creative space, is a symbol of its growing ecosystem, which has also benefited from its proximity to the Polish border.
Foreign visitors have been fewer, but with Lviv still reachable by train, tech conference IT Arena 2025 brought 6,450 participants from more than 40 countries to the city. Defense tech had its own stage, but the event also showcased support for a wider range of startups. Despite the war, VC firms remain active in the country, including 1991, Flyer One Ventures, and SMRK.
Despite the long journey, Ukrainians are still making the trip to tech conferences abroad too. At TechArena in Stockholm earlier this month, members of a Ukrainian delegation told TechCrunch they were tired and waiting for the spring. But before saying goodbye, they started listing Ukraine’s unicorns — because that’s what you do, even in the middle of a war.