On June 9th, together with Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and the London Stock Exchange, our Association hosted a major side event as part of London Tech Week.

Our Association’s event “United by Innovation: The UK–Ukraine Tech Forum” at the London Stock Exchange brought together over 110 participants — from British investors to Ukrainian tech leaders.

The stage featured powerhouse names: Google, TechCrunch, Horizon Capital, 1991 Ventures, Sayenko Kharenko, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and of course, Diia.City United. The panels were expertly moderated by industry tops: Mike Butcher MBE (TechCrunch Editor), Emma Sinclair MBE (CEO EnterpriseAlumni), and Yegor Lanovenko (Global Co-Head at Ocorian, founder of Opora).

Our mission is to create a space where Ukrainian tech businesses can grow and scale globally. So Diia.City United becomes a bridge for Ukrainian tech companies to enter world markets.

Natalia Mykolska, Executive Director of Diia.City United, presented the transformation of Ukraine’s ecosystem:

All my life I’ve been saying that Ukrainian companies lack global ambitions. But the war changed that — now our startups and even scaleups have become more aggressive in terms of global ambitions.

Investment Trends from Market Leaders

Bohdan Svyrydov, Investment Director at Horizon Capital and a member of our Association, highlighted promising development areas:

The two most dynamic industries are AI and Defense Tech. AI remains the most promising sphere globally, while defense tech is rapidly developing due to sad necessity. New startups, funds, and accelerators are emerging.

And it’s true — Ukrainian Defense Tech is developing especially rapidly. Even the British Prime Minister acknowledged in his speech that the UK is learning from Ukraine and reviewing its defense strategy.

AI Revolution from Ukrainian Pioneers

Yevhen Vyborov, founder of Ability.ai, demonstrated a successful example of AI transformation: his company created a media buying agent for complete automation of this process — from creative concept to results analysis and campaign continuation decisions:

This tool brings us demos for $30 — a very good indicator, Yevhen shared.

Hennadii Vorobyov from Netpeak Group revealed a unique approach:

In our company, AI isn’t just a tool — it’s a new layer of business management. We created VT-AI for recruitment that analyzes candidates across over 100 parameters, including personality traits.

Female Leadership: From Fears to Strength

Antonina Yermeychuk, co-founder of Deus Robotics, shared an interesting observation about Ukrainian women’s transformation:

The war gave more strength and courage to women. They no longer have “deferred life syndrome” — they accept their fears and go where they were previously afraid to go.

Natalia Sadova from Readdle believes it’s critically important to invest in our future right now — and it’s far from just about money:

We launched an internship program for young talents — those who are incredibly gifted but lack experience. Our team of top specialists wants to pass on knowledge to the next generation.

The “Women in Tech” panel once again demonstrated Ukrainian women’s unique ability to unite.

Women are incredible connectors. 

If anyone responds to a call to action, it will be women, summarized panel moderator Emma Sinclair.

Wrapping up the event, Natalia Mykolska addressed the international audience with characteristic directness:

I call myself an international beggar who asks for help with Ukrainian tech companies. Your best support is to invest and partner with Ukrainian tech businesses. We’re ready to become a platform for online collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The future of tech is being written today, and Ukrainian companies are holding the pen.