In Kyiv, tech start-ups are thriving

What better cocktail to try in Kyiv than ‘Lesya Ukrainka’s Dream’? Born in 1871, Ukrainka was a fierce feminist, poet, titan of Ukrainian literature and the angel-faced symbol of independent nationhood. In this time of war, writers like Ukrainka and Taras Shevchenko, the great 19th-century poet persecuted by the Russians, a man who has come to define Ukrainian national identity and liberation, are all the rage. The last verse of Ukrainka’s poem ‘Contra Spem Spero’ (‘I hope against hope’) captures the national mood:

Yes, I will laugh despite my tears,

I’ll sing out songs amidst my misfortunes;

I’ll have hope despite all odds,

I will live! Away, you sorrowful thoughts!

Tonight, in the Kyiv-meets-Shoreditch minimalism of 100 Rokiv Tomu Vpered, a startlingly hip restaurant, Ukrainka lends her name to a delicious blend of porcini-infused rum, baked-apple-tinged vermouth and spicy bitters. It seems only patriotic to have another.

While soldiers fight, tech start-ups thrive. Ukraine does a mean line in coders, cyber warriors, hackers and developers. Homegrown successes include Grammarly, the writing assistant; GitLab, a hub for 30 million software engineers; and Reface, the face-switching app which reached 100 million downloads in half the time it took TikTok. Cyberaccelerator UA, a three-month programme, has helped dozens of cybersecurity companies launch since 2021, and miltech is now one of the most dynamic sectors. Nice work, Moscow. In the pared-back co-working space of Kooperativ I join a hybrid meeting linking intrepid venture capitalists, incubators and a car insurance start-up in London, Kyiv and Lviv. ‘Kyiv has become the point for start-up resistance,’ says Denis Gursky of 1991 Accelerator, an incubator that supports these IT warriors. ‘It’s a place where the progressive spirit of tech-savvy youth resists being drawn into the dark future filled by the greedy political ambitions of Russia.