In Google’s continuing effort to ease the humanitarian crisis, the global technology conglomerate announced a $5 million Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund to allocate cash awards this year.
Selected Ukraine startups will be named on a rolling basis to receive up to $100,000 in funding, Google mentorship, product support and cloud credits, according to a company blog post published Wednesday (March 30).
“This hands-on support is designed to help Ukrainian entrepreneurs maintain and grow their businesses, strengthen their community and build a foundation for post-war economic recovery,” Agnieszka Hryniewicz-Bieniek, the senior director of Google for Startups, wrote in the post.
The Ukrainian government has identified a vibrant startup community in the eastern European country.
Ukraine ranks in the top 30 of startup ecosystems. Kyiv, the largest IT hub in the nation, hosts more than 1,000 startups and product companies. Of the 2,000 startups in Ukraine, 126 have raised venture capital funding since start of the year, according to Pitchbook.
“Support for Ukrainian-led startups will help them succeed and build the tech that their country needs now,” Hryniewicz-Bieniek wrote. “And as the region starts to recover, startups and tech companies will be key to rebuilding the Ukrainian economy, creating jobs, and positively impact the cities they make their homes.”
Earlier this week, a Google blog post from Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said he has asked nonprofits how the tech company can best support the needs of more than 3.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine.
Pichai, who wrote the post from Warsaw, Poland, said that to help humanitarian aid efforts on the ground in Europe, Google.org and Googlers have committed $35 million in funding and in-kind support.
