From Idea to Enterprise: The Finale of the Third Season of the Dream and Achieve Programme
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Photo: Impact Force
A total of 116 participants in the final stage of the Dream and Achieve programme presented their own businesses, launched despite the challenges of war, ranging from craft production and social enterprises to AI start-ups and creative brands. Following the final pitch presentations, 10 finalists were awarded grants totaling UAH 400,000 to support the growth and development of their businesses.
Russia’s full-scale invasion has changed the rules of the game for millions of Ukrainian women. Losing a home, a job, or a sense of stability is no longer the exception. It has become a new reality. In this reality, entrepreneurship is not only a source of income but also a way to regain control over one’s life, find a sense of security, and build a new future.
It is at the intersection of these challenges and opportunities that the Dream and Achieve educational programme continues to grow. For the third consecutive year, the initiative has been helping women launch and scale their own businesses, turning ideas into sustainable economic opportunities.
The third season became the largest in the programme’s history, with 2,600 women joining the training and 1,524 participants completing all educational modules of the programme. The integration of digital tools and AI-powered solutions made the learning experience more accessible, interactive, and user-friendly, while also enabling more effective tracking of participants’ progress, assessment of knowledge acquisition, and evaluation of practical skills development throughout the programme.
The core curriculum consisted of 13 training modules focused on strengthening entrepreneurial skills, digital competencies, and the practical application of AI tools. Following the completion of this phase, 116 participants were selected to advance to an intensive stage of the programme, where they received personalized support, mentoring, and guidance to develop their business ideas further.
“Today, we are not simply concluding a programme — we are sending more than one hundred women into a new chapter of their lives. The economy of the future is not born from certainty; it is born from the courage to act. Women’s entrepreneurship is no longer only about self-realization. It is about the country’s economic resilience, a new generation of leadership, and Ukraine’s recovery driven by the concrete actions of thousands of women. Our role is to provide them with the tools, the community, and the confidence they need to succeed,” said Nina Levchuk, Co-Founder of Impact Force.
Participants joined the programme with diverse backgrounds and starting points: some came with little more than a napkin sketch, while others were struggling to keep their businesses afloat. Over the course of six months, they underwent a journey that involved not only gaining entrepreneurial knowledge but also experiencing profound personal transformation.
“I joined the programme with a rough service idea and am leaving with a vision for an international AI company. The programme did more than help me refine my idea — it expanded my entrepreneurial mindset,” said Inna Tarabanovska, a programme finalist who was forced to relocate from Druzhkivka to Kremenchuk due to the war.
According to the programme’s results, 89% of participants reported increased confidence in their abilities, while 98% either already own a business or plan to officially register one in the near future. At the same time, a third of participants have already found their first clients or increased sales by at least 1.5 times.
At the Demo Day, programme finalists showcased a diverse range of businesses, including a Crimean Tatar arts and crafts salon, a family-run cold-pressed oil production enterprise, a digital identity studio, a sugar-free lollipop workshop, flower farms, adaptive clothing for pets, educational platforms, yoga studios, and many others.
Aslihan Ozkan, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Specialist at UN Women. Photo: Impact Force
During the event, Aslihan Ozkan, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Specialist at UN Women, emphasized that Ukrainian women entrepreneurs are creating more than just businesses — they are fostering a new culture of responsibility centered on community support, job creation, and mutual assistance. These initiatives are becoming increasingly vital to Ukraine’s economic resilience. They help revive local economies, create employment opportunities, and strengthen social cohesion in communities living through the realities of war. This growing wave of women-led entrepreneurship demonstrates how business can serve not only as a source of economic opportunity but also as a powerful driver of recovery and community resilience.
A key component of the programme is its community — mentors, partners, and participants themselves — who create an environment of mutual support and collaboration. This kind of peer-to-peer engagement is becoming the foundation of a new entrepreneurial ecosystem in Ukraine.
“Today, every new women-led business is more than a success story. It is a contribution to economic recovery, community resilience, and the future of Ukraine. As the third season has demonstrated, that future is already being shaped by the actions of thousands of women who are launching businesses here and now,” concluded Olha Diakova, Co-Founder of Impact Force.
Today, Dream and Achieve has evolved into much more than an educational programme. It is a platform for nurturing a new generation of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs who think globally, embrace digital tools, and build businesses even amid the challenges of war.
The participants of the third season have shown that Ukraine’s recovery begins not only with large-scale infrastructure projects but also with thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises that create jobs, restore economic activity in communities, and foster a new culture of leadership. For this reason, supporting women’s entrepreneurship and expanding economic opportunities for women is increasingly recognized not as a social initiative, but as a strategic investment in Ukraine’s long-term resilience, sustainable recovery, and future competitiveness.
Among the stories of the programme’s graduates are inspiring examples of turning creativity into thriving businesses and transforming challenges into new opportunities.
Tetiana Fedorova/Luna.animalshop Online Store
Photo: Impact Force
Tetiana is originally from Enerhodar. She endured both occupation and captivity during the war. After being forcibly displaced and undergoing a long period of recovery, she exchanged goods with a local resident for an old manual sewing machine, repaired it, and began making shoes for her small dog, Luna. What started as a personal initiative gradually grew into an online store specializing in clothing and footwear for pets. Tetiana’s unique offering includes adaptive clothing for animals with disabilities as well as traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts (vyshyvankas) for pets. Through the Dream and Achieve programme, she gained the confidence and support needed to scale her business. Tetiana is currently completing renovations of her own atelier and plans to hire an employee. A key condition for the position is that it will be offered to a woman who is either internally displaced, a former captive, or a veteran.
Inna Tarabanovska/PROYAV Digital Identity Studio
Photo: Impact Force
Professional photographer Inna Tarabanovska was forced to relocate her photography studio from the frontline city of Druzhkivka to Kremenchuk. There, she developed an innovative approach that combines traditional photography with the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Through her studio, PROYAV, Inna creates photorealistic digital replicas (avatars) for experts and business owners, enabling them to generate high-quality visual content without the need for frequent studio photoshoots. Her service helps clients reduce the cost of regular branded photo sessions by 60–70%. During the programme, Inna significantly rethought her business and financial model. She now plans to launch a full-scale digital avatar agency and expand her work to international markets, collaborating with global brands.
Zakhida Adylova/SANDIQ Crimean Tatar Art Salon
Photo: Impact Force
Zakhida Adylova has revived a family business originally launched by her brother in 2016 and later suspended due to a range of challenges. The mission of SANDIQ is to strengthen the connection between Crimea, mainland Ukraine, and the international community through art and cultural heritage. Working with artisans of national and international acclaim, including renowned Crimean Tatar artist Rustem Skibin, Zakhida curates and promotes unique handcrafted products that preserve and celebrate Crimean Tatar traditions. Through the Dream and Achieve programme, she launched a professional website, developed a business growth strategy, and established her own production processes. She is now preparing to expand into offline retail and enter international markets through Etsy, one of the world's leading marketplaces for handmade and creative goods.
Liudmyla Popivniak/Yavorivska Oliynia Family Craft Oil Production
Photo: Impact Force
In 2022, Liudmyla Popivniak and her family were forced to leave Kharkiv. Despite the displacement, they succeeded in reviving a family tradition of producing cold-pressed, unrefined oils in the Lviv region. The business traces its roots back to 1921, when it was founded by Liudmyla’s husband’s great-grandfather. However, the original enterprise was destroyed during the Soviet collectivization campaign. Today, Yavorivska Oliynia continues this legacy by producing 100% natural, minimally processed oils that retain their nutritional value and authentic taste. The business follows a zero-waste production model, transforming oilseed press cake into nutritious flour and dietary fiber products rather than discarding it. Through the Dream and Achieve programme, Liudmyla was able to streamline and structure her business processes. She is now preparing to launch a professional marketing campaign and establish partnerships with eco-lodges and sustainable tourism businesses in the Carpathian region.
Nadiia Chernykh/LollyLab Sugar-Free Lollipop Workshop
Photo: Impact Force
Nadiia Chernykh made a dramatic career change, leaving her job in a scientific laboratory to pursue a business from her own kitchen. Instead of working with chemical reagents, she now crafts healthier confectionery products, creating sugar-free lollipops made with isomalt, a tooth-friendly sugar substitute. Her candies are designed to be a healthier alternative to traditional sweets, suitable for people of different ages and mindful of dental health. When Nadiia joined the Dream and Achieve programme, her lollipop-making was still a small home-based hobby that had initially helped her cope with stress. The programme gave her the tools and confidence to transform that hobby into a growing business. Today, she creates custom-branded corporate orders and themed gift boxes for cafés and other businesses. Looking ahead, Nadiia dreams of opening a dedicated workshop and building a team of employees to expand her production.
The Dream and Achieve educational programme has been implemented by the NGO Impact Force in partnership with UN Women as part of the UN Women Ukraine Strategic Note (2025–2029) with the financial support of the governments of Denmark, Norway, Poland, Finland, and France, and Sweden, and is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office, and the national project Diia.Business.