On September 4, the business association Diia.City United hosted a major event, FutureTech MeetUp: Go Global, dedicated to helping Ukrainian tech companies enter international markets.
One of the most dynamic sessions was the panel discussion on global sales and marketing, featuring leaders from prominent Ukrainian companies known far beyond our country’s borders.
Sharing their firsthand experience in global sales were:
- Valeriia Tolochyna, Global Chief Marketing Officer at MEGOGO
- Valentine Hrytsenko, Chief Marketing Officer at Ajax Systems
- Serhii Kostia, Regional Marketing Director for CEE & Asia at Bolt
- Denys Sudilkovsky, Brand and Business Director at LUN
The conversation was moderated by Illia Kabachynskyi, Editor-in-Chief of Scroll.media.
So, how can Ukrainian products conquer the world, and why should you think twice before entering even the closest markets? Here are the key takeaways from the discussion.
The Biggest Challenge Isn’t Where You Think
When asked about the most difficult market for expansion, the answers were unexpected. While the audience anticipated hearing about exotic Asia or distant Latin America, most speakers pointed to Europe.
For me personally, the biggest challenge is Central Europe. As paradoxical as it may sound, noted Serhii Kostia. — We assume we’re very similar to them, but in reality, we’re not at all. Ukraine is Europe, but whether Central Europe is Europe… That’s still a question.
Conquering Europe: Trust, Partnership, and Performance
In mature markets dominated by powerful global players, the most valuable currency is trust. Valeriia Tolochyna shared MEGOGO‘s experience entering European markets, emphasizing this factor.
Users already have established habits, she explained. — So the first thing we do is build relationships with top vendors. You buy a Samsung TV, and it already has the MEGOGO app pre-installed. During the launch campaign, the vendors themselves tell customers, ‘Look, this is a great product’.
According to Tolochyna, traditional brand campaigns in Europe are ineffective and prohibitively expensive. Instead, MEGOGO focuses on performance marketing and partnerships, with each campaign being highly segmented.
We run about 800 performance campaigns simultaneously across different audiences. To one segment, we might say, ‘Watch Superman.’
Another campaign might target sports fans: The Polish national team is playing; watch the broadcast on Eleven Sports.
Valeriia also explained MEGOGO’s unique strategy for competing with giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime:
We aren’t afraid of competing with Netflix. Not because we’re so amazing, but because we have a different product. We offer live television, which Netflix doesn’t have. We have sports, which are absent on those platforms.
The United Kingdom: Conservatism as the Main Barrier
Valentine Hrytsenko of Ajax Systems identified the UK and the US as their most challenging markets. He mentioned that even after a decade of expansion, the company still faces ”internal difficulties” in these countries.
There are so many challenges, and you have to reinvent your approach constantly., Valentine stressed.
Denys Sudilkovsky of LUN agreed, describing the difficulties of entering one of the world’s most competitive real estate markets — London. He stressed that the primary focus must be on creating an unparalleled user experience.
Your team in a new market has to make a thousand people absolutely fanatical about you. Not just ‘like’ you or give five stars, but, as they say, be willing to ‘have your children.’ Can you deliver that kind of experience? Only then can we start talking about performance campaigns, Denys shared. — Only from that point can you start growing your user base, and that’s when the unit economics start to make sense.
Once this flywheel is spinning, you can begin building the brand through local ambassadors — fans who spread the word organically.
Because if you set a goal to run a TV ad in London, it would be ”a fantastic, but probably very short, broadcast”.
One fancy spot, and your annual budget is gone., Denys joked.
The Asian Gambit: A Different World, Different Rules
So why might Asia, which seems so distant and complex, prove more promising than neighboring Poland?
Serhii Kostia of Bolt debunked common stereotypes and explained why Ukrainian businesses should look East. He revealed that for Bolt, Asia has been the market with the fastest return on investment, dispelling myths about its difficulty.
There’s a stereotype that it’s this chaotic, impenetrable world, but that’s not true. The market is different, but it’s very structured and modern — in its hierarchy, management, and government relations. In that sense, it’s very similar to Europe, he said.
Among the market’s peculiarities, he noted a low barrier to entry (due to popularity of scooters) and a ”duality”, where impoverished neighborhoods exist alongside districts ordering Bolt Lux. But the main challenge is competing with beloved local players like Grab.
Ironically, they all use the color green, which creates an additional branding challenge.
For Ajax Systems, according to Valentine Hrytsenko, the challenge in Asia stemmed from entirely different consumer habits. Security there is often managed at the city or community level, not for individual apartments. Furthermore, the proximity of China heavily influences pricing.
An highlight from negotiations with an Indian partner perfectly illustrates this point:
When we were discussing prices, he looked at them and asked: ‘This is the end-customer price, right?’ We said: ‘No, that’s your purchase price.’ He replied: ‘Ah, I see. Well, I want my purchase price to be what the end customer pays’.
The Power of Local Context: Why You Can’t Conquer a New Market from Kyiv
A key idea that united all the panelists was the impossibility of building a successful business in a new market without deep immersion in the local context and hiring local teams.
Valeriia Tolochyna gave an example of how a local PR team in Kazakhstan halted the premiere of the series The Last of Us because it contained a scene with two women kissing, which could have sparked a reputational crisis.
Something like that would never have crossed our minds, she admitted.
According to the speakers, this very lack of understanding of the cultural code was a key reason for the failure of russian companies that entered Ukraine with huge budgets but ”promoted products and series that held no interest for Ukrainians”.
Regional specifics are incredibly important. Even within Ukraine, cities differ in how people choose real estate, emphasized Denys Sudilkovsky. — And no outsider can build that service experience. Without a local understanding of this foundation, of the cultural code, nothing will work.
So, Where Should You Go?
Drawing from Bolt‘s experience, Serhii Kostia shared insights on markets with good potential and lower barriers:
- The Czech Republic: More receptive to investment than Poland
- Romania: ”Like Ukraine 20 years ago, but in Europe”
- Uzbekistan: The most welcoming market in Central Asia, opening up rapidly
- Thailand: The easiest in Asia from a legal standpoint
However, the panelists agreed that there is no magic country where you can ”plant a seed and watch it grow” effortlessly. Nevertheless, certain principles will always work in any new market:
- Always have local sales teams.
- Focus on delivering a unique user experience.
- Don’t be afraid to compete with major players by offering a different product.
- Incorporate cultural context into all marketing campaigns.
The main conclusion of the discussion is that global sales is a marathon, not a sprint.
There are no universal recipes; success only comes from deep research, respect for local culture, flexibility, and a willingness to adapt not just your product but also your own perceptions of the market.
It is through candid conversations like these, sharing real-world experience from recognized industry leaders, that Ukrainian entrepreneurs can avoid costly mistakes and grow faster on the global stage.
Join our Association to gain access to unique development opportunities. Together, we are shaping clear business regulations, implementing fundamental changes, and safeguarding the Diia.City space to ensure that Ukrainian tech businesses can thrive globally.
