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Booking a parking spot in advance, generating more electricity with solar panels, or replacing conventional packaging with biodegradable material – Ukrainian startups received funding and support to develop their ideas.
The developers are already beginning to test prototypes, arrange testing with potential customers, and prepare to enter new markets.
From Idea to Investment: How SheLeads Works
Behind these ideas are graduates of SheLeads – a free accelerator for girls interested in STEM, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship who want to create their own product. The program was jointly organized by the nonprofit uBoost and the technology philanthropy Tokarev Foundation, founded by Serhiy Tokarev. Training and mentor work help participants move from idea to prototype, which they present to potential partners.
Testing, refining the product, and going to market require funding. In Europe, startups with female founders are raising more and more capital. According to the Female Innovation Index 2026, in 2025 they received 7,5 billion euros – 19% more than the previous year. This is the highest figure in three years, accounting for 13% of all venture funding for European startups. The research counts companies that have at least one female founder, including teams with both women and men.
To attract investment, young founders must validate their technology, assess demand, and demonstrate business prospects. SheLeads focuses on these tasks: together with mentors, participants work on them and prepare for negotiations with potential customers and investors.
Stories of SheLeads Graduates
After SheLeads, Sofiya Kedri secured funding to develop an optical module for solar panels. It is designed to direct morning and evening light onto their surface, extending the time of effective operation. The developer is now working on manufacturing the module and addressing engineering issues, including how to prevent panel overheating.
For Anastasiya Kurmanova, the idea for her own startup arose from an everyday situation: while traveling with her father, she had to walk around parking lots looking for an empty spot. That prompted her to create Spotoria – a service for booking parking spaces in advance. As part of the program, Anastasiya worked on the business model and partnerships with parking operators. Her team is now preparing to enter the Polish market.
Irina Terekhova’s team is preparing to test biodegradable packaging with a potential customer. As part of the ReGrow Pack project, they developed a prototype made from corn husk and microseeds, established more than 50 contacts with potential clients, and arranged testing with one company. Next, the team plans to refine the material and the production technology for the packaging.
Mentorship, Internships, and Business Connections
Trials, preparation for production, and finding customers require resources and expert support. As Tokarev Foundation founder Serhiy Tokarev explains, SheLeads’ task is to help girls obtain that support so they can continue developing their projects after the program ends.
There are many questions behind a first prototype: will it work outside the lab, how much will production cost, who will be the first customer. It is important for a young founder to have someone to discuss this with and someone to turn to for help. That is why in SheLeads we combined training with mentorship and business contacts. We want that after the final pitch, the girls have opportunities to continue working on their products,
– says Serhiy Tokarev.
Program graduates also gain practical experience at Ukrainian companies. One of the first to offer internship opportunities was the product IT company OBRIO.
We invest in talent at the start. Students and interns get the opportunity to learn in a real business environment, work with mentors, and quickly develop professional skills. For us this is also a way to prepare future specialists who can achieve high results in product teams,
– says head of talent acquisition at OBRIO, Solomiya Dmytruk.
SheLeads fosters a new generation of Ukrainian women engineers and entrepreneurs. Early support increases their chances of turning knowledge into a business and finding practical applications for their developments. For Ukraine, this lays a foundation for creating technology companies, new jobs, and solutions that will help economic recovery and competitiveness in international markets.
About the Program and the Organizers
SheLeads is a program jointly implemented by uBoost and the Tokarev Foundation for girls interested in STEM, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship. It combines training, mentor work, pitch sessions, and a competition for the chance to intern at technology companies. The season was supported by partners Sigma Software Labs, Ukrainian Startup Fund, Healthy Mind, and AI HOUSE.
Tokarev Foundation is a technology philanthropy that uses technology and innovation to help build a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable Ukraine. The foundation implements projects in EdTech and HealthTech. It was founded by Serhiy Tokarev – a Ukrainian impact investor and technology entrepreneur, founder of SET University and the driving force behind AI HOUSE.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Від ідеї до фінансування: досвід учасниць програми SheLeads від uBoost і фонду Сергія Токарєва". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
