ReBuild Ukraine has become one of the most significant international events for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Held in Warsaw in November, it brought together projects from the InnovateUkraine programme with governments, investors, donors, innovators and delivery partners to accelerate collaboration and investment in Ukraine’s recovery.
While InnovateUkraine provides early-stage support through grant funding and acceleration, its priority is enabling innovations to endure and scale after the programme to deliver meaningful impact in Ukraine and beyond.
By convening investors, infrastructure specialists and project teams in one place, the event supported InnovateUkraine’s wider mission to ensure that high-impact innovations attract follow-on funding and real-world deployment in the months and years ahead.
Investors and potential end users could engage directly with InnovateUkraine projects to explore opportunities for partnership, piloting and investment. Conversations ranged from exploring venture capital funding for early-stage startups, to funding pots from donor agencies and engaging with key corporates to discuss technology distribution and rollout.
To drive forward the conversation around investment in Ukraine’s recovery, InnovateUkraine convened a panel with leading voices from government and industry. This included the , representatives from projects in the first InnovateUkraine cohort and members of the international investment community.
The investors brought a range of essential perspectives on Ukraine’s financing landscape: a VC firm focusing on Ukrainian founders to ensure Ukraine’s existing startup ecosystem remains dynamic; a domestic private equity firm working to catalyse international private investment amidst the challenging environment; and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which is the critical debt financier in today’s climate.
Key enabling institutions were also represented by the European Commission and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Both are working to provide policy support, technical assistance, and new financial products to attract and deploy the financing needed to strengthen Ukraine’s energy sector.
Combining their perspectives with representatives from InnovateUkraine projects brought to life the key themes, challenges and day-to-day realities that innovators face – including geopolitical risk, regulatory reform, skills and demographic shifts. They were also able to channel real on-the-ground insights from Ukraine into the top‑down initiatives being shaped by key ecosystem players to support the country’s recovery and energy transition.
The audience included private investors, energy infrastructure developers and delivery partners, reflecting the programme’s strategic focus on pairing innovation with capital and implementation capability.
This discussion and the wider event captured the importance of momentum. While it is too early to point towards confirmed investment outcomes, the level of engagement was strong. Several follow-up conversations and potential partnerships are now progressing as a result of introductions made in Warsaw.
As InnovateUkraine moves into its next phase with the launch of Round 2, relationships formed at ReBuild Ukraine will play a key role in supporting projects to scale, attract private further finance and contribute to Ukraine’s long-term recovery.
Investors and potential partners interested in engaging with InnovateUkraine are encouraged to contact the team at info@innovateukraine.io.
