Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Young owners of operating businesses and authors of projects that are only at the idea or MVP stage will be able to participate in a new prize for Ukrainians aged 18–25 years. The Lytvyn Foundation, the Kharkiv IT entrepreneur and patron Volodymyr Lytvyn, is launching the MindShift Awards with a grant fund of 1 million UAH.
The prize covers startups, SaaS products, AI solutions, technology services, and business ideas in any field using modern technologies and IT. For projects at various stages, MindShift Awards envisions two separate directions, and the finals are planned to be held in Kyiv in the first half of 2027 year.
Participants of the MindShift Awards will be able to receive expert evaluation, mentoring support, new professional contacts, grants, and the opportunity to present their product to a wide audience. The prize organizers are addressing a problem faced by many young entrepreneurs: creating a promising product is not enough if people beyond a small circle of users do not know about it.
For the Lytvyn Foundation, the prize is a continuation of work with Ukrainian youth. The Volodymyr Lytvyn Foundation already runs the MindCraft online business school, the Code The Future IT hackathons series, a business club and business incubator, and a sports-education program ONE POINT in partnership with tennis player Elina Svitolina's foundation.
Two directions of the MindShift Awards
The first direction is for ideas, MVPs, and early-stage technological projects. Initially, applications will be reviewed by an expert jury, which will form a short list. Finalists will undergo mentoring sessions to prepare pitches, after which they will present their developments live to the jury at the finals.
During the selection, the following will be taken into account:
the clarity of the problem that the product solves;
the quality of the idea;
the technological component;
the realism of the MVP;
understanding of the audience;
the quality of the pitch;
market potential.
In addition to the three main winners, there are planned special nominations: AI Product of the Year, Best MVP, and Future Impact.
The second direction is for young entrepreneurs who already have a working business or startup. Here the audience will join the selection: on the MindShift Awards website there will be an open online vote, and its winner will receive a separate grant.
How the grant fund of 1 million UAH will be distributed
The MindShift Awards slogan is "1 000 000 hryvnias for those who change Ukraine." Grants are provided for the three main winners and separate nominations, with possible special grants as well.
Support will not be limited to monetary payments. The format will depend on the needs of a specific project and may include financing, partner services, strategic and mentoring sessions, access to IT tools, legal and marketing consultations.
Grant support participants can use to refine the MVP, create a website, app, or other technological solution, test hypotheses, design and branding, legal registration, marketing, initial sales, and participation in relevant events. A project at the idea or prototype stage can receive resources for a concrete next step.
The first prize will culminate in an offline ceremony in Kyiv. Finalists will present their startups to an expert jury, after which the winners will be announced and grants awarded. A separate part of the event will be networking for young entrepreneurs with business representatives, experts, and potential partners.
Reference
Volodymyr Lytvyn – Ukrainian IT entrepreneur, investor, benefactor, and owner of several successful businesses.
Founder of the Lytvyn Foundation – a charitable foundation building a systematic free education for teenagers in entrepreneurship and technology. The strongest participants in the foundation’s projects receive grants for developing their own ideas and dreams.
Lytvyn is convinced that entrepreneurial thinking should be formed from adolescence. That is why his foundation invests in a new generation that will build Ukraine’s future.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Фонд IT-підприємця Володимира Литвина проведе премію MindShift Awards на 1 млн грн". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: UNIAN.
