SEEDS English - Projects

Small businesses

Small businesses are the engines of the economy. They foster the development of communities and regions, create jobs, and produce unique craft products. However, to compete for consumers with large retail chains, they often lack up-to-date knowledge. The United Nations Global Compact Ukraine has initiated the educational project SEED, which for the second consecutive year has been helping small entrepreneurs to thrive, providing grants to the best among them. The project focuses on supporting agrarian businesses. The educational program is partnered with PepsiCo in Ukraine, and financial support for its implementation is provided by the PepsiCo Foundation.

About competition

The second wave of the project has recently finished. Approximately 150 participants from all over Ukraine were selected to take part. They underwent group sessions on marketing, entrepreneurship fundamentals, presentation skills, project management, and investment, led by experienced lecturers. Collaborating with mentors, they worked on enhancing their business ideas. Throughout all stages of the project, the participants of SEED 2.0 were supported by the team of the United Nations Global Compact Ukraine, which, upon their requests, engaged additional experts to deepen the participants’ knowledge in areas they deemed crucial. This allowed them to learn more about export, online sales, and legal aspects of entrepreneurship.

In the final competition, following the pitching sessions evaluated by an expert jury, 14 winners received grant support from the PepsiCo Foundation, MHP, and Syngenta in Ukraine.

About SeEd

“SEED is not just about education. It is a community of entrepreneurs striving to develop the country, starting with the creation of their quality products. To rebuild Ukraine better than it was before the full-scale aggression of Russia, businesses—both large and small—need to work in the field of sustainable development. We provide SEED participants with an understanding of how to do this—for the benefit of their communities, the scaling of their businesses, and the future of our country,” says Tetiana Sakharuk, the CEO of the United Nations Global Compact Ukraine

At the core of SEED

At the core of SEED is the concept of a grain, a business idea that will undoubtedly sprout if nurtured. This word also embodies the key principles of sustainable development that responsible businesses should operate by:

S – Sustainable

E – Empowering

E – Ethical

D – Diverse

Each winning project incorporates a component of sustainable development, which is now an essential prerequisite for business growth and attests to its responsibility to society. After all, sustainable businesses are the foundation for Ukraine’s recovery from the dire consequences of the Russian war. These businesses are the winners of the SEED 2.0 project. Get to know them better.

competition

winners