Category: Veteran entrepreneurs stories

During the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation , veteran entrepreneur Andriy Sarvira opened a volunteer headquarters on the territory of his exquisite First Wave restaurant in Dnipro.

In the first days of the war, the institution fed hot lunches to soldiers, internally displaced persons, and policemen. Half a thousand people ate there every day.

In 2014, Andriy was actively volunteering. In 2015, he volunteered for the 81st separate airborne assault brigade. In fact, it was the fourth wave of mobilization. They performed combat tasks in Popasnaya, Vodyanyi and other hot areas.

In 2016 he demobilized in the rank of junior sergeant, and then he decided to engage in entrepreneurship. Andriy opened the Veterano Pizza restaurant in Dnipro.

Things were going well; at one point, the restaurant was visited by the state’s first persons, who didn’t hold back from giving it rave reviews. In 2018, they moved to the center of the city, increasing the space of the restaurant and the number of visitors increased as well.

Later, Andrii stopped working under the Veterano brand, opening his own restaurant – First Wave, and a brewery by the same name. 

“Why First Wave”? It seemed very apt to me then. Because it is like the first wave of mobilization. The landing of the first wave of the main forces during the Allied operation in Normandy also went by this name – The First Wave. And because we were the first wave of brewers who started making craft beer,” Andriy explains the name of the restaurant.

With the beginning of the full-scale invasion, this restaurant of Ukrainian-European cuisine was closed and worked exclusively as a volunteer headquarters to provide hot lunches to the displaced, the military and the police. Every day, the team fed about 500 people.

“I expected an invasion and knew that it would happen – not in previous years, but in 2022. There were all signs that it was going to happen, unlike any previous year. It was enough to listen carefully to what Russian officials and their other politicians were saying, they gave clear dates for a full-scale invasion. Zhirynovsky, for example, named one. After February 24, I left for three months to visit my friends in the east with, shall we say, a volunteer mission. I evacuated the family and launched a volunteer headquarters in the restaurant without hesitation,” says Andrii.

The establishment has recently reopened as a restaurant, but after its absence from the market due to the war, sales declined drastically.

“We counted the losses – it is quite a large sum of money. Especially including rent and utilities,” he says succinctly.

The veteran applied for the “VARTO” competition program of the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation. First Wave was one of the winners of the contest and will receive 860,000 hryvnas for development. In particular, they plan to purchase the new, more appropriate equipment.

“Our chance to keep the company afloat and to keep on developing is to attract a new wave of visitors, which we plan to engage with the help of entertainment and information events – concerts, exhibitions, lectures, and poetry evenings. We did it before, but thanks to the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation, we will organize them even more effectively,” emphasizes Andriy.

And he states: “So far, the restaurant has not returned to the pre-war number of visitors.”

But we at the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation believe, expect and know that a new wave of visitors will come to First Wave.

Clients will come, lending a helping hand to the veteran entrepreneur. Just as he, having given up profit, offered his helping hand to those who needed it in the first days of the war.

Suspended pizza for wounded services and medics in the hospital. The veteran will open a pizzeria that will work in support of the security forces.

Veteran Mykhailo Roschuk is one of the 30 winners of the #VARTO funding competition from the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. 

“I offered the idea of opening my own pizzeria to my brothers in 2020. I bought a franchise from Pizza BRO and now I’m ready for the opening,” says Mykhailo.

His project is aimed, first of all, at veterans, active services and other employees of the security forces.

“For veterans, active services, volunteers and the police, we constantly offer discounts of up to 25% on pizzas marked on the menu. And every visitor or customer can suspend a pizza, which we will hand over to wounded active services and doctors in the hospital,” Mykhailo says.

He also mentions that he plans to employ up to 6-8 people. Staff will be recruited, first of all, from the veterans. After all, Mykhailo is a veteran himself and understands how important it is to reintegrate services into civilian life.

“My battle path lasted during 2015-2016. He served in the 11th “Kyiv Rus” Mechanized Infantry battalion. Tasks were carried out near Troitske (Donetsk region) and Novozvanivka (Luhansk region). In 2008, he passed military service. I have the rank of senior sergeant,” the veteran says.

Soon the pizzeria will open its doors to visitors. The cafe will be located on Rusanivka, Mykolaichuk Str., 7a.

Veteran entrepreneur Mykola Voropai is a story about stubbornness, inspiration, forward movement, development and life.

Just think about it: the man was on a combat mission in Mariupol surrounded by Russians as part of the Marine Guard unit. After the start of the Russian full-scale invasion, he fought in Mariupol and managed to get out of the encircled city.

He moved to Subcarpathia and settled in Ivano-Frankivsk, where he started to resume his business.

In Mariupol, Mykola had his own photo studio and created souvenir products. During the full-scale invasion, he lost everything, and the businessman returned to action – together with the unit, he performed tasks in the area of the Azov Ship Repair Plant and the Mariupol Sea Trade Port.

Now the Ukrainian Veterans Fund is helping the entrepreneur in reviving his business: the man applied for the “Varto” competition of the UVF.

Mykola will receive funding for the implementation of the “ARTnation” project. Renuval”.

Its essence is the launch of its own production for cutting various materials, applying images, labelling products, etc. With these funds, they plan to purchase a laser machine, a milling machine, a 3D printer, and a UV printer. With the help of this equipment, according to the entrepreneur, it will be possible to print high-quality images on almost any surface.

Mr. Mykola plans to manufacture an impressive range of products: coasters for drinks, flower beds, clothes for amulet dolls, lamps, applying images on tiles, printing on fabrics, etc. We would also like to add that this is not Mykola Voropay’s first cooperation with the Ukrainian Veterans Fund — he has already received funding from the UVF as part of the “20 thousand hryvnias” program.

These funds also were used for purchasing photo and laser equipment, and in the summer of 2022 he resumed production of products. The business comes to life, something that once was lost is now renovated, once stolen  is returned to the owner, at the cost of a lot of work. And we at the UVF help in this by lending a hand of support.

In November 2019, Roman Yanko, a veteran of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, returned home from the war.

While still in the hospital, he considered various ideas for his own business. And one of them was the processing of waste from carpentry production into pellets.

The veteran says that he had a dream back in the trenches to process wood waste into something useful:

“Nowadays, pellets are the best bioresource for space heating!” veteran claims.  

He says: “Volunteers brought us sunflower pellets and we used them to heat the small houses. I became very interested in this, so I began to study this topic, machines, work processes, etc. Thanks to my friends, I delved into this process even more.”   

First of all, the veteran purchased a granulator machine, which can produce up to a ton of pellets a day, a screw conveyor and a screener-cooler. This business is a dream job for him. Mr. Roman says he waits every day until the night is over so that he can come and work again with God’s help. His brother works and helps him with production. And when someone ask him “What do you do?” Mr. Roman proudly answers “I am a businessman!”.

Roman Yanko’s talent for carpentry is just an accident, he says that his mother worked at the Chernivtsi souvenir factory “Bukovinka”. Therefore, the boy grew up near the wood processing machines. He is also a carpenter by education. When the war started in 2014, Roman Yanko went to the front without any hesitation, he became a soldier.

He says that he did not go for the rank or for medals. He went there with deliberation to defend Ukraine. Now the veteran is not at the front due to his health, but he contributes to the victory by working, supporting the Ukrainian economy and creating new jobs.

The veteran is convinced: “Belief in what you are doing and supporting your relatives is the main formula for success.” He claims that his wife Nadia’s faith and his own tenacity work wonders.

During the development of his business, Roman was able to create a wide client base, and there were even orders from abroad, but he didn’t have the capacity to fulfil such orders.

But, thanks to the victory in the #VARTO competition, his dream will come true, and most importantly, the number of people working on new equipment will also increase.

Veteran Valery Pryadun is one of the winners of the #VARTO contest of the UVF.

He plans to develop a cleaning company in Poltava with a full range of customer services.

“The launch of the company is expected in February-March 2023. Currently, the process of preparation and purchase of the necessary equipment is underway. Our company will focus not only on servicing offices but also private houses and apartments. I also plan to participate in tender procurement to have the possibility of working with state institutions,” says Valery.

The veteran also shares his vision for his future team. While the process of providing services and finding clients will be worked out, the team will be up to 5 people. But later on, he wants to organize two mobile cleaning brigades.

“We will also need to purchase a vehicle to transport the equipment. A million hryvnias would be enough to realize all these ideas. But I entered a slightly smaller amount in the tender application. Although, when he found out that he won the #VARTO competition, he was pleasantly surprised. If there will be any more contests, I will definitely take part in them,” says Valery.

In addition to the cleaning company, the veteran is also developing a company that provides security services in Poltava. Before founding his own business, the man worked in the ranks of the Security Service of Ukraine.

From 2015-2018 he was on an official mission in the zone of ATO/ Joint Forces Operation, in the Donetsk region. There he was engaged in counter-intelligence and other operational activities within the framework of the tasks assigned to the Security Service of Ukraine.

Veteran Vitaly Kucherenko founded a company which is engaged with humanitarian demining of the de-occupied territories.

He purchased special equipment with the help of the funds provided by the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation. In 2022, Vitaly was invited to participate as an expert in the draft of the Law “On Mine Action in Ukraine”.

The veteran became curious whether he would be able to create a non-governmental demining organization on his own and in that way benefit the state, himself, and his family. 

“As a military man, I understand the scale of this problem. After returning to civilian life, I always wanted this land to be safe for me, my children and grandchildren,” says Vitaly.

It was difficult to start, but the veteran enlisted the advice of specialists, used his own savings and got support from friends. Together with his colleagues, he worked in the Donetsk region, but the full-scale invasion prevented them from continuing the work.

One of the goals of the business is also to help brothers in arms, to provide jobs and to socialize them. Vitaly’s team consists of  former military servicemen, most of them have now returned to the frontline. But the company has already prepared replacement specialists in its training center.

The team plans to work in Zhytomyr Oblast. In an area of 7 square kilometers that should be demined.

Serhiy and Vitaliy Pirogov founded their own brand “Active Season”. Serhiy is a veteran.

He had been in the ATO since 2014, and now he is currently undergoing rehabilitation. Therefore, now his brother Vitaly runs their family business.

The brand works in Dnipro and produces goods that improve conditions for the military on the front line:

• air mattresses for relaxation – it can be quickly inflated in the trenches, and the material is flexible and strong;

• hermetic bags for personal belongings;

• soft buckets for a comfortable everyday life.

“Hermetic bag is a bag for things. It is waterproof and protects things from moisture, which is very important for the current conditions,” says Vitaliy Pyrogov, co-owner of the production.

Vitaliy, Serhiy and their team do everything on the conscience. Everything is checked to ensure that things are reliable and perform their functions: “We test the hair dryer and materials, at what temperature, which material is soldered. Some things can be glued, some can be soldered, we try the best options. For each material, we select our own fastening option,” shared Dmytro, an employee of the enterprise.

The received funds from the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation are planned to be spent in several areas:

• to increase the number of jobs;

• to expand production volumes;

• to develop new product models

The team has already purchased new equipment. Now they are testing materials.

Veteran Oleksiy Beshulya is back again at the frontline.

On November 20, Oleksiy celebrated 3 years since the foundation of his publishing house “Propala Gramota”.

He recently won the #VARTO competition from the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans for its development and now he is sure that “soon the publishing house will start to delight customers with new books, and most importantly, with new meanings that were born out of the war.”

Oleksiy was born in Donetsk region. In 2014, when Russia invaded Ukraine, he volunteered to fight for his country.  He says about the idea of founding a publishing house:

“I have always loved books, even during the war I carried a dozen books with me in a trunk, later the hobby turned into a business…”.

Oleksiy says that books influence society’s education level:

“Our books raise awareness of citizens about the history of military affairs, the struggles of different peoples for freedom. We publish books that were written by Ukrainian warriors, particularly those that have fallen in the fight against Russia prior to the full-scale invasion.” 

By the way, the publishing house is currently running a permanent campaign “Hang books for the troops”.

Anyone willing can buy a book and the team will hand over such gifts to various units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations. Currently, “Propala Gramota” needs support in order to resume full-fledged work and they need resources for their good cause.

Therefore, with the support of the UVF, the publishing house will be able to ensure the printing of books that were already made and of those that were partially printed before the start of the full-scale invasion, as well as new editions of the publishing house’s most popular titles.

The team believes that by printing novelties and bestsellers, the publishing will be able to restore full operation in the field of direct sales and improve wholesale distribution

Veteran Artur Krasovsky is one of the winners of the #VARTO business financing competition from the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation of the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine.

Artur will be developing the production of natural, ecologically clean honey and other useful bee products of the “Azov Bees” brand.

He will be engaged in cultivating bees of the “Ukrainian steppe” and the “Carpathian” breeds.

“I began beekeeping 5 years ago. It was a hobby after leaving the military service. Since 2012 I worked in the police, investigating economic crimes. With the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2014, I was involved in the defence along the demarcation line near Mariupol,” says Artur Krasovsky.

After leaving the service, the man decided to turn his beekeeping hobby into a source of income.

Artur lived in Melekine, near Mariupol. He had an apiary there. With the beginning of a full-scale invasion in 2022, he had to flee his home and move to Khmelnytskyi. 

“We had to drive through dozens of roadblocks, through gray detours. That’s why I couldn’t take away his bees or his other property. Everything that remained in the temporarily occupied territory was destroyed. I had an open business. I thought about doing beekeeping, but it was too difficult financially. I saw on the Internet that the Ukrainian Veteran Foundation finances the development of veteran businesses. I applied and won, although I didn’t even expect it. I was pleasantly surprised,” the veteran shares.

According to the defender, their plans include the production of honey, packing it into sticks and making sweets. They will also provide apitherapy services.

These are special houses that stand on beehives for people to rest there. 20 minutes of rest in the “bee house” can replace a full sleep.

6 people will be involved in the work of the apiary and the enterprise: assistant beekeepers, packers, and a marketing specialist. Artur plans that the next spring the apiary will be expanded to 500-600 beehives.

“I fled the war twice. The first time from Luhansk region in 2014, then from Irpin in 2022. Russians shell destroyed my rehabilitation center. I found out about it from TV report. 20 thousand is not that much compared to the damage, which we have suffered. But every penny is important” Anastasia has been involved in the rehabilitation of children for about 10 years now.

At first, she worked in different medical centers, but two years ago she opened her own business. Her husband Igor is a veteran and a combatant.

In 2014, after the start of the invasion of the Russian Federation, Anastasia had to leave her home and she moved from the temporarily occupied Kadiivka, first to Severodonetsk, then to the Kyiv region, to the city of Irpin. 

Before the full-scale invasion, about 80 children from Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel, and Vorzel received treatment at her children’s physical rehabilitation cabinet. As a specialist, she works in different areas: musculoskeletal system, neurology, autism, epilepsy, and other medical conditions. 

“It is just like a kindergarten. Children learn to adapt and socialize in society. At first, the child takes individual classes, then we prepare it for a group, then – for society, an ordinary kindergarten or a school”, – says the doctor.

At the end of March 2022, as a result of a direct artillery shelling, her rehabilitation centre in Irpin was destroyed.

“I saw a journalist report about Irpin and the remains of my center were also shown there. It burned to the ground. After we returned, I began to restore everything little by little. Now I’m renting a new separate office, and I’m buying equipment peace by peace. 15 children have already approached me, I work with them,” Ms. Anastasia tells us.

When the doctor found out that there was an opportunity to receive 20,000 hryvnias as state compensation for running a business, she applied.

“You know, maybe 20 thousand is not that much compared to the losses we suffered, but nowadays, every penny is important. I am really glad that such micro-grants exist. And I particularly like the fact that applications are considered very quickly, literally within a few days,”- Ms. Anastasia shares with us

She has already received her 20,000 hryvnias compensation, she used it to purchase equipment for her child center.

Currently, Anastasia is in search for the funds needed to restore what was destroyed by the enemy. And we, for our part, are glad that we can support the families of those who defend us.