IT Arena 2024: the Place to Be for Tech Players

This year IT Arena featured a variety of topics with a focus on Cybersecurity, DefenceTech, eGovernment, Community Building, Entrepreneurship, and IT in Manufacturing. In Startup Competition, there were two tracks – Defence and Conventional startups, which reflected the attention paid to military products.

Overall, the scope of DefenceTech innovations was impressive, represented both in speeches and in startups.

Monique Brown, former Regional Director for South, Central, and Eastern Europe at Lockheed Martin, delivered an inspiring message about the importance of driving Ukrainian defence innovation products. According to Monique, the world MilTech players are closely watching Ukrainian developments. Her advice to Ukrainian innovators was to extend their focus beyond drones and look at logistics, sharing lessons learned, scaling the best practices and battlefield experience.

Valery Krasovsky, CEO and Co-founder of Sigma Software, General Partner at SID Venture Partners, presented a comprehensive overview of how IT firms can bring positive change to Ukraine. In his speech “Uniting VC and IT service experience in Ukrainian Defence,” he described how IT service companies, venture firms, and other members of the Ukrainian tech ecosystem could contribute to the development of Ukrainian DefenceTech innovations and overall support of Ukraine’s progress.

First, IT service companies can use their expertise to support government initiatives. Thus, Sigma Software contributes to government digitalization initiatives and provides business analysis, management and technology consultations to the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, and other ministries.

Second, tech businesses can help with Ukrainian innovations by investing in defence within the country. In the case of Sigma Software, it’s the funding of several DefenceTech startups and the launch of DefenceTech accelerator program Defenсe Builder in partnership with Sigma Software Labs, Kyiv School of Economics, and Buntar Aerospace.

Valery also called to promote the country in the international arena and to build collaborations with companies willing to take part in Ukraine’s recovery and development. A great example of such collaboration is Sigma Software’s cooperation with Combitech, an independent technical consulting company and part of defence and security group Saab AB. Valery emphasized the importance of attending tech events and conferences around the world to broaden Ukraine’s exposure. Thus, Sigma Software attended 31 tech events in 12 countries during 2022-2024.

Moreover, IT companies can invest in the country’s economic growth through venture firms or direct investments. For these purposes, Sigma Software initiated the creation of SID Venture Partners fund that invested in 20+ technology startups and was named the “Investor of the Year” in 2023. SID fund recently introduced the possibility to co-invest with small checks.

At the local level, tech ecosystem players can support municipalities in their digitalization and modernization efforts. For example, Sigma Software actively supports the Smart Сity project aimed at the intelligent integration of the latest technologies in all spheres of citizens’ lives, including infrastructure, transportation, medicine, security solutions, city management, etc. At the request of the Kharkiv City Council, Sigma Software developed “Kharkiv – Your Home” chatbot that allows city residents to get information about damage to their homes, check the status of applications for restoration compensation, and more.

Besides all that, Valery called to remember about donations and support of the Ukrainian Army and people. To better manage aid requests and response to them, Sigma Software established its own Sigma Software Unity Fund. In the middle of 2024, the amount of support provided by the Fund exceeded $4.5+ million. However, support comes in various ways, so Sigma Software University provides free training for Ukrainian military developers. With a variety of ways to contribute to the development of Ukrainian DefenceTech innovations and overall resilience and progress of Ukraine, any player in the tech ecosystem can bring their share to make a difference.

Barry Haughian, Head of IoT at Intellias, allowed the audience to delve into the exciting world of digital twins and their transformative applications across sectors like construction, healthcare, public monitoring, and commercial use. Barry said: “When creating a digital twin, first define the process. If it’s too complex, break it down into smaller steps. Make it Simple. Focus on ROI at each stage.”

As Ukrainian companies are looking around the world to borrow useful experience as well as offer tech products and services, many speakers highlighted different aspects that can be beneficial.

“Ecosystem of Innovations: Do Not Copy Silicon Valley” panel brought together Gigi Wong, Industry Fellow & Faculty at UC Berkeley SCET, Rhonda Shrader, Executive Director of the educational program Bay Area Node for NSF I-Corps, and Dan Herman, professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. They explored how cultural and economic context influences the development of innovation ecosystems and why we need to find our own path to success.

“Selling Your Business: Insights from Both Sides of the Deal” panel, featuring Dave Morgan, Executive Chairman at Simulmedia, and Volodymyr Chyrva, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Sigma Software, with Asya Artushevska, Lead Editor at the most popular IT media in Ukraine DOU, serving as the moderator. Volodymyr told how to evaluate your company and find the buyer you can trust. Dave advised those who considering selling their company to build flexibility and create competition.

Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, showcased the country’s digitalization achievements and introduced a new service: uResidency (Ukrainian e-residency). It allows opening a business in the Ukrainian jurisdiction simply through a smartphone. The only offline participation is the verification of the applicant at the Ukrainian consulate in their home country.

Taxes and reporting are fully automated: the bank, as a tax agent, submits a tax return on a quarterly basis and pays taxes instead of the e-resident, so there is no need to hire an accountant. Citizens of India, Pakistan, Thailand, and Slovenia can already become e-residents of Ukraine. The list of countries will be expanded soon.

“We’re emerging on the world map as one of the countries where foreigners can open a business online with just a few clicks under favorable conditions. This will generate new revenue for Ukraine’s budget, strengthen our banking sector, and improve our international rankings. We’re stepping up to a new level of competition with other countries,” said Mykhailo Fedorov.

Meetups Day was full of deep and engaging discussions and our specialists raised important topics.

“Seven Cornerstones of Your Delivery Management Process” with Evgeniy Bachynskiy, Head of Management Consultancy, and Darya Gruntovska, Account Manager, Product Manager at Sigma Software. Evgeniy and Daria addressed the problems that many project managers faced – failure to meet deadlines and budgets, non-returning customers, and fighting fires instead of strategic planning. They shared the experience of the company with 250+ active projects and provided real-life problem-solving tips and approaches.

“Community Power: Myth or Reality?” meetup by Sigma Software Labs the investment wing of Sigma Software, gathered 60+ people, including developers, startups, marketers, and founders who wanted to know more about the challenges and benefits of building professional communities in Ukraine.

The audience got insights from leading Ukrainian community builders Ievgeniia Bespalova, Head of Ecosystem at UNIT.City, Anastasiia Smyk, CEO & Co-Founder INPUT SOFT, Jane Klepa, Director of Partnerships and Innovation at SET University, Anna Kulchytska, Product Strategist at The Gradient, and moderator Kate Stefanovych PR Lead at Sigma Software Group. They talked about the opportunities for startups and SMEs to build professional communities, which ecosystem players provide platforms for effective communication, and how to use the best practices of Silicon Valley to build a strong ecosystem in Ukraine and beyond.
After three days of events and networking, the participants left with new ideas, connections, and insights. It was another milestone in the Ukrainian tech ecosystem development and another step in its integration into the global system. We thank everyone who visited our booth, meetups, and speeches from our specialists and can’t wait to see you again.

• #Business Process Automation
• #Dev Centers & Teams
• #Turnkey Project Outsourcing