The first ten representatives of small and medium-sized businesses in the manufacturing and processing sector received grants under the “CREATE!” program launched by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with financial support from the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund and implemented by the KSE Foundation in partnership with Oschadbank. The initiative provides individual grants to women entrepreneurs in the amount of up to USD 15 thousand. The total budget of the program is $1 million.
Each of the grantees will receive funds to spend on the purchase, delivery, and installation of production equipment, and no more than 30% of the grant will be spent on software and training.
Since the program's launch in April,
more than a thousand women entrepreneurs from all over Ukraine have applied for the “CREATE!” program. The first winners to receive grants for business development were:
· Daria Tolstykh (Dnipro) is the founder of the Moon&Rune cosmetics brand. Thanks to the grant, Daria will be able to purchase equipment for the production of cosmetics, which will help automate the process and increase production volumes.
· Galina Lukashuk (Hilcha Druha village, Rivne region) is the owner of the Dairy Farm cheese factory. Galina plans to purchase equipment for the production of dairy products.
· Natalia Krevelia (Kyiv) is a co-founder of the furniture company Manka Studio. The grant will allow her to expand the range of furniture facades thanks to a new paint booth and a drilling and additive machine.
· Irina Kotapska (Chernivtsi) is the founder of the KOTAPSKA wedding dresses brand. Irina plans to purchase modern equipment to improve the production process.
· Natalia Zavhorodnia (Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast) is the director of the private enterprise Krasnoarmeysky Foundry and Mechanical Plant. The grant will help her purchase a milling machine to expand production and reduce production costs.
· Anna Kazanska (Kyiv) is the owner of FastAR Kids publishing house. The winner will use the grant money to purchase a printing press and software to help make books better and produce them faster.
· Tetyana Kanska (Vinnytsia) is the director of the plastic parts production company Termoplast-T. The entrepreneur will purchase a new mold to expand the range of products and modernize outdated equipment.
· Yulia Kliuchkovska (Zymna Voda village, Lviv region) is the founder of Holy Mamas Underwear, a brand of underwear and clothing for pregnant and nursing mothers. With the grant funds, the entrepreneur will purchase a steam generator, a tacking machine, a 12-needle machine, and more. The equipment will help automate some of the production processes and produce more complex products.
· Olga Lyalina (Pokotylivka, Kharkiv Oblast) is the owner of the Modern Doors Factory. She will use the grant funds to purchase a format cutting machine and equipment for painting doors.
· Veronika Tolkachova (Ternopil) is the owner of the “Family Bakery” business. The grantee will use the funds to purchase a steam convection oven and a proofing cabinet. The equipment will help expand the range of products and speed up the baking process.
“It is very important for us that Oschadbank participates in the implementation of the “CREATE!” grant program. Stimulating women's entrepreneurship is a response to one of the challenges of a full-scale war. At a time when many men are at the front, increasing the number of women in business and developing their projects is the need of the hour. Our bank will continue to do everything in its power to help women entrepreneurs start and develop their own businesses for the sake of their families' future and the overall well-being of Ukrainians”, said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, Oschadbank Board Member in charge of MSME.
Press service of Oschadbank
