Ukraine’s tech sector was one of Europe’s fastest-growing before the full-scale invasion. Since 2022, thousands of founders have been displaced, rebuilding in new markets under challenging conditions. Bridge to Scale was created to turn the temporary relocation of Ukrainian tech talent into a driver of cross-border entrepreneurship, reinvigorating the Ukrainian economy and accelerating its integration into the European tech landscape. Bridge to Scale by 1991 Accelerator, a new 12-week equity-free accelerator backed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and run by 1991 Accelerator, aims to help Ukrainian-led early-stage startups expand across the EU, become investment-ready, and secure deals. Deadline for application: 19 November.
Key program highlights:
- No equity or payment taken.
- Mentorship from 15+ leading CEE, European, and UK-based VCs and 30+ industry experts.
- Investment readiness track: pitch deck, data room, financial model, investor targeting.
- CEE & EU market support: regulatory and operational guidance.
- Direct investor access: curated introductions, in-person Bootcamp and Demo Day in Warsaw.
- Selected start-ups will have a chance to apply for a business development grant from the EBRD, amounting to up to €30,000 per project
- Potential direct investments from 1991 Ventures
Apply if:
- Your startup is registered in or has a significant presence within Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, or Croatia.
- Ukrainian founders own at least 51% of company shares.
- At least one founder has a documented legal status in an EU Member State (received after 24.02.2022).
The program is delivered by 1991 Accelerator, Ukraine’s leading startup accelerator with over 300 alumni that have collectively raised more than $46 million. The team also managed the $10 million Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund, which provided 98 startups with up to $100,000 in equity-free grants, Google Cloud credits, and mentorship. In 2024, the founders of 1991 launched 1991 Ventures, a £15 million London-based venture capital fund that invests in mission-driven founders from Ukraine and Central & Eastern Europe, offering pre-seed and seed funding of up to $500,000.
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