September 12, 2025
September 15, 2025
The Ukrainian startup ecosystem is growing rapidly — and startup accelerators play a key role in this growth. They help early-stage teams navigate the toughest stage of development — from idea to product-market fit — by providing founders with mentorship, knowledge, and access to investors. One of the leaders who decided to support Ukrainian founders is Stakh Vozniak, CEO of Forward, who has joined Mission Possible as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR).
“We once started from scratch ourselves. All entrepreneurs were making the same mistakes — and that’s why the ecosystem couldn’t grow fast,” says Stakh Vozniak.
For him, joining a startup accelerator is a way to give back to the community, helping new teams avoid common pitfalls and find their product-market fit faster. This approach is a cornerstone of global startup ecosystems, where mentorship and support from experienced founders are key to sustainable growth.
“You’re doing something amazing at a time when it’s really hard. This is my way to share knowledge. If even one startup grows faster thanks to this — then it’s all worth it.”
Mission Possible is more than just a startup accelerator — it’s a growth platform and a strong community. The program combines intensive mentorship, practical workshops, and investor networking. This format helps startups survive the “valley of death” and scale to international markets.
Being an EIR at a startup accelerator is not just about sharing experience. It also means:
- Access to early-stage teams and new ideas
- A chance to look at the market through other people’s challenges
- Constant sharpening of your entrepreneurial mindset
“It’s a reality check — to see if my knowledge works in other industries,” Stakh adds.
“Pure excitement. Strong teams that are actually building products. There are gaps in knowledge, but I believe they’ll close them by the end of the program.”
What inspires him the most is the motivation and speed at which the teams are moving forward — even with limited resources. Most startups approach mentors for warm intros to investors, access to funds, and advice on how to build a pitch that leads to follow-up conversations rather than one-offs.
“Mission Possible is the #1 startup accelerator in Ukraine right now.”
Over the past few years, Mission Possible has become an entry point into the innovation ecosystem for dozens of Ukrainian teams. The program helps founders build businesses that are born locally but sell globally — exactly the formula for success that Stakh Vozniak himself believes in.
Build locally, sell globally. And always: test distribution first, then build the product.
This rule helps avoid wasting time and money on a product that has no market — and ensures a faster path to scaling internationally.
Stories like Stakh Vozniak’s prove one thing: the growth of Ukrainian startups becomes possible when experienced entrepreneurs share their knowledge with the next generation. Thanks to such EIRs, startup accelerators like Mission Possible are building a powerful wave of entrepreneurship capable of transforming Ukraine’s economy.
