Today, March 9, the Invest Office presented a web platform where entrepreneurs can access all financing and business development tools. The initiative was made possible thanks to the cooperation with the SoftServe company.
In 2022, the Invest Office, together with the Istanbul Entrepreneurship Development Center, conducted research among businesses in the Lviv region. According to his results, 46% of entrepreneurs have never used external financing. Insufficient awareness of non-refundable support programs and grants, the difficulty of their search and selection does not allow mass and effective use of this tool. Therefore, the Invest office team initiated the creation of a web platform that combines all business opportunities in the Lviv region and the country.
“Thank you for the opportunity to be part of a team that helps Ukrainians stay in Ukraine. I have great hope that the Invest office we opened and the tool presented today will convince everyone that Ukraine is a country of great opportunities. Now entrepreneurs of Lviv Oblast can find out about current financing programs without leaving production, using a convenient platform created by the Invest office team together with the IT company SoftServe.
We must do everything so that Ukrainian businessmen know that there are programs and people who are ready to support and help. The more businesses will be represented in Lviv Oblast, the more people we will leave in the country, the more people we will bring back from abroad, the easier it will be for our state to recover after victory,” said the head of the Lviv OVA, Maksym Kozytskyi.
In addition to additional financing, the website concentrates information on land plots and real estate objects in the Lviv region. This will help entrepreneurs who plan to expand or relocate to find the best option for their needs.
“Our task is to inform about available opportunities, teach them how to use them and strengthen entrepreneurs with resources. Previously, in order to find additional financing, the business of Lviv Oblast had to search for it on various web portals. We have collected all current support programs and investment opportunities of the region on one online platform. We unified them, making the information as convenient as possible for practical use,” says Taras Yeleyko, Director of the Invest Office.
The implementation of this project became possible thanks to the SoftServe company, whose IT specialists developed the platform on a volunteer basis within the framework of the OpenTech corporate pro bono program.
“We are happy to participate in informing entrepreneurs about additional opportunities for their business. The presence of such a digital platform, which accumulates in one place many government programs, grants, lending options, as well as investment opportunities, will obviously simplify the search for those who are looking for them. We at SoftServe support important initiatives and cheer for business development in the region. I really hope that many entrepreneurs will use the Invest Office platform”, – Oleg Denys, co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of SoftServe.
You can familiarize yourself with the web platform by following the link.
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The event took place within the framework of the project “Consultative support of small and medium-sized enterprises of the Lviv region”, which is financed by the Western NIS Enterprise Fund, which supports initiatives to promote reforms in Ukraine and transformational projects.
The investment office was created in September 2022 at the initiative of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, the Lviv City Council, and the UCU Business School. The office team includes experts in grant activities, export support, financial and legal activities, and marketing.