The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship/nnov8 is collaborating with our world leading academics to train Ukraine's next generation of tech entrepreneurs.
With the support of the Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), /nnov8 is recruiting it's first 20 students for a six-month venture building programme, Mission Possible. It has been designed for Ukrainian professionals, leaders, visionaries and innovators who are ready to build global, innovative businesses.
As part of Mission Possible, Oxford Saïd will provide entrepreneurs, at the vanguard of the country's recovery from Russia’s invasion, access to the Oxford Venture Creation Programme and the Oxford Venture Finance Programme. These two programmes will equip them with the skills to conceptualise new ideas, stress test and scale existing business models, as well as understand and differentiate the types of entrepreneurial finance available as their business ventures evolve, grow and scale.
Those completing the programmes will be awarded a certificate of completion, and given the opportunity to connect with partners, co-founders and mentors through the community. Participants will also be able to use the School’s Entrepreneurship Centre materials, which include a fundamental entrepreneurship framework, the Gallup Builder Profile 10 which will guide entrepreneurial development, and cutting-edge research and insights from faculty and experts.
Thomas Hellmann, DP World Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Oxford Saïd, said: 'It takes a lot of courage to plan for the future in times of war, but this is precisely what this initiative is about, to prepare the next generation of Ukrainians who will build the innovation ecosystem for their rebounding post-war economy.'
Mission Possible is seen as a transformative, in-person programme that empowers talented entrepreneurs, startups, professionals with big business or consulting experience, and academics with a strong technology background to create or scale an innovative and technology startup, and provides them with support and accommodation in Kyiv. The programme will start on November 27 and last until May 2024.
Oleksandr Akymenko, Director of Mission Possible, said: 'The programme we are building is unique because we connect the world’s best educational materials from Saïd Business School with high-profile networking and mentorship, a hands-on experience of building companies in Ukraine in a very challenging time. We are looking for ambitious young professionals, prominent leaders, bright scientists, and CEOs of traditional businesses who want to build something great.'
With a philosophy based on the principle of "Lead-Build-Drive", Mission Possible offers a unique approach in which participants combine 2/3 practical and 1/3 theoretical knowledge. In particular, during online training from academic partners, business breakfasts with top Ukrainian companies, offline workshops with leading experts, mentoring from business founders and pitching ideas to experts and industry leaders.
Sviatoslav Sviatnenko, founder of Mission Possible, co-founder of /nnov8, said: 'We strongly believe that innovation and entrepreneurship will become the locomotive of Ukraine’s economy. That's why we created Mission Possible, a program that is directly designed to help become entrepreneurs, launch and scale technology businesses. Our goal is to give Ukrainian entrepreneurs the best possible start to their entrepreneurial journey.'
Mission Possible supports the principles of inclusion, equality and diversity, and encourages the participation of female entrepreneurs, and underrepresented groups.
Anton Waschuk, Economic Leadership Programme Director at Western NIS Enterprise Fund, said: 'Mission Possible represents a remarkable partnership between /nnov8, WNISEF, and the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. We are thrilled to support this programme, which brings together seasoned professionals, bright scientists, and aspiring entrepreneurs to foster innovation, create opportunities, and drive positive change. The entrepreneurial journey begins here, and we are excited to witness the impact these mission-driven founders will have on Ukraine's economy.'
/nnov8 is a centre of innovation and entrepreneurship, founded for the development of the technological ecosystem in Ukraine. The centre helps potential and existing entrepreneurs create and scale startups, as well as technology businesses.