1991 Accelerator has opened applications for the second cohort of Bridge to Scale, the equity-free acceleration programme backed by EBRD for Ukrainian-founded pre-seed startups operating across Central and Eastern Europe. The program is built to help startups become investment-ready and scale across the EU, providing dedicated mentorship, access to support from more than 15 VC funds, and two in-person events in Venture Cafe Warsaw. Applications are open through 2 October at 1991.vc/bridgetoscale.
Founders rebuilding a company in a new jurisdiction face two problems at once: no pre-existing network in the markets they now need to sell into, and limited access to structured, investment-grade preparation.
Bridge to Scale is built to fill those two gaps and targets pre-seed teams in AI/ML, IoT and smart tech, fintech, cybersecurity, robotics, sustainability and cleantech. Twelve startups will be selected and each matched with a team mentor for the 12 weeks, matched for sector expertise and for operating experience in the market that the startup is expanding into. Overall, the cohort will receive more than 200 hours of combined support. Acceleration runs online, with a two-day Bootcamp and a Demo Day at Venture Café Warsaw.
"Most early-stage programmes bring investors in at Demo Day, which is the point at which it is too late to be useful," says Viktor Gursky, CEO at 1991 Accelerator. "We integrate investors in the agenda from week one, building the foundation for deeper work, not just feedback following pitching sessions."
Bridge to Scale prepares founders already in the EU to raise and scale from inside it. Sixteen CEE, EU, and UK-based VC funds have already joined the program: 1991 Ventures, Hard2beat, Tilia Impact Ventures, Elevator Ventures, J&T Ventures, Neulogy Ventures, ZAS Ventures, N1 Ventures, bluelakevc, VN Capital, STRT Invest, Purple Ventures, Digital Ocean Ventures Starter, Lighthouse Ventures, SMOK Ventures, Angel One Fund.
“Having experience of multiple acceleration programs including the ones in the Bay Area I would pick this one. It's carefully crafted to the companies needs, very well organised, and extremely relevant to CEE geo and early stage”, says Gor Walowski, founder at Hypershadow, the AI copilot layer for SaaS.
“The programme exceeded all our expectations. It genuinely felt tailored to us, even with 15 startups in the cohort. The support from the 1991 Accelerator and EBRD team went far beyond the programme itself and the results we’ve achieved since speak for themselves.”, adds Alina Golubieva, CEO and co-founder at Karpatia Benefits, solution for employee benefit management.
Startups are eligible if they:
- Have at least one owner who is Ukrainian and hold temporary protection status (or held it but naturalized) in a EU country/target EBRD CEE country of operation.
- Operate in a priority sector: AI/ML, IoT and smart tech, fintech (excluding crypto), cybersecurity, sustainability and cleantech, or robotics (excluding dual-use).
- Already established a business in one of the 11 target EBRD CEE countries: Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania, and can verify it through official documentation.
- Are primarily at the pre-Seed stage of their development. Some flexibility is retained on an exceptional basis.
- Have no Russian or Belarusian nationals among the founders
- Are not currently participating in, selected for, or in active discussions with another EBRD-funded programme (including Star Venture).
Applications are open through 2 October at 1991.vc/bridgetoscale.
Bridge to Scale is implemented by the 1991 Accelerator with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, carried out with funding by the European Union. The EBRD works across three continents to support the transition to successful market economies. Their focus is on delivering prosperity by enabling a well-run and sustainable private sector.
