Ukraine’s largest tech companies — Ajax Systems, Genesis, MacPaw, Monobank, Netpeak Group, and Roosh — presented Diia.City United: What does the Ukrainian tech industry want?

Yesterday, on February 6, Kyiv hosted a presentation of Diia.City United, an association that brings together powerful tech businesses that are currently operating in Ukraine, supporting the economy and the Armed Forces. The Association aims to formulate clear business rules, implement fundamental changes, and develop the Diia.City environment so that Ukrainian tech businesses can grow globally.

Diia.City United’s founders are representatives of the largest Ukrainian tech companies: Ajax Systems, Genesis, MacPaw, Monobank, Netpeak Group, and Roosh. Their products are adored and used by millions of users around the world every day. The Association is headed by Natalia Mykolska, an expert on strategic transformations and globalization of Ukrainian business, former trade representative, and Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine.

The strategic priorities of Diia.City United are:

  • protect and improve the Diia.City space;
  • create fair rules of interaction between the Government and the technology sector;
  • solve urgent problems of the IT industry;
  • develop education;
  • accelerate the integration of the Ukrainian technology industry into the EU market and globally;
  • build a space of fair rules for diversity, equality, and inclusion.

The event began with an opening speech by Oleksandr Kosovan, Founder and CEO of MacPaw and president of Diia.City United. He noted that Diia.City has managed to prove its effectiveness as a tool for IT business. But it is time to improve it:

“For more than 15 years that I have been in the IT business, Ukrainian entrepreneurs have repeatedly proved that they can create large-scale, world-famous products. Ukraine already has enough talent, technology, and innovative ideas to be among the leaders in the tech market. However, to realize this potential, the country needs to create transparent and predictable rules for the game.

Therefore, we aim to establish a productive bilateral dialogue in which the Government and business consider each other’s needs. Only together can we create the conditions that will make it interesting for foreign players to enter Ukraine.”

The Government is also interested in cooperation.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, addressed the audience:

“Two years ago, we launched Diia.City so that tech companies could get the best conditions for business development and scaling. Now, there are more than 800 companies among the residents. Among them are about 100 defense tech companies. Representatives of the IT community have united to influence the rules of the game and help us make them better. I am confident that Diia.City United will become a powerful case of cooperation between the tech business and the state.
I thank everyone who joined Diia.City, believes in this project, and continues to actively develop it.”

Oleg Gorokhovskyi, Co-Founder of Monobank, called on the IT community to unite to improve the conditions for doing tech business together:

“If the state does something right, we must support it. Diia.City, created by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, is a huge step towards Ukraine finally becoming a country where it is comfortable to do business. We invite everyone to join our Union to communicate common interests to the country’s leadership and improve the system.”

A panel discussion followed the presentation. The speakers were the founders of the Union: Aleksandr Konotopskyi (Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ajax Systems), Volodymyr Mnogoletnii
(СЕО and Co-founder of Genesis), Artem Borodatyuk (СЕО and Founder of Netpeak Group), Oleksandr Kosovan (founder and CEO of MacPaw, President of Diia.City United). Nataliya Mykolska (Executive Director of Diia.City United) moderated the discussion.

The founders spoke about the key idea and purpose of the Association.

Main points:

  • Ukraine is already competing and will continue to compete for financial resources, investments, and people on a global scale, particularly in the technology sector;
  • To win in the competition, Ukraine needs to make it more convenient, easier, and cheaper to do tech business;
  • Diia.City United is working to do just that – to create a globally competitive business space for the tech industry;
  • The state is interested in dialogue and change – it is important to voice proposals and implement them together;
  • Diia.City should be involved in G7 and IMF programs.

“Ukrainian IT companies are very powerful due to their strong immunity, formed in numerous crises. We know how to think outside the box. We know how to unite and find solutions together. That is why I believe in the potential of Diia.City United as a competitive business space for the technology industry,” said Artem Borodatyuk, CЕО and Founder of Netpeak Group.

“Business is what separates successful countries from unsuccessful ones. We supported the Diia City space at the beginning of its foundation because we want to live in a country where the IT cluster functions like Abu Dhabi. The goal of the Association is the same: to prevent Ukraine from becoming underinvested. We are ready to work to ensure that there is a queue of investors in the country and that domestic businesses have normal, comfortable working conditions,” said Volodymyr Mnogoletnii, СЕО and Co-founder of Genesis.

“The IT business is of great value, like oil inside Ukraine, and we aim to ensure it stays here. Compared to oil wells, people are highly mobile and can easily move to other jurisdictions if the conditions are not right. We are launching the Association to create business space for tech companies to scale globally from Ukraine. We have a strong basis for this: the best taxes in Europe, one of the best in the world. It is important to continue to support and develop this in the future,” added Aleksandr Konotopskyi, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ajax Systems.

Nataliya Mykolska, Executive Director of Diia.City United, summarized:

“We will be the voice of the technology business so that the Government hears us and understands what business needs and how can help the state. We are focused on solving urgent issues of the Diia.City residents, developing Diia.City, promoting Ukraine and Ukrainian tech business worldwide.”

In addition to the Association’s members, Diia.City residents, representatives of the tech world, MPs, Government and embassies of the EU and G7 countries, investors, and opinion leaders joined the discussion.