Ukrainians adapting their businesses to today’s challenges

With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine and funding from the Government of Sweden, the PROMTECH initiative’s consulting programme has become a platform for technological transformation and professional growth for Ukrainian companies operating under the conditions of war.

March 23, 2026

Work under the programme is built on a constant path of transformation.

First, managers or representatives of companies undergo introductory diagnostic meetings. This helps to analyse the current state of their business, identify key challenges, and find opportunities for growth. Based on such diagnostics, an individual profile and a clear development roadmap are formed for each enterprise.

Next, the participants move on to intensive work with experts on specific requests — from updating business models and marketing strategies, to entering new markets, digitalising processes, and preparing companies for successful scaling. The goal of the programme is to strengthen the strategic, operational, and market capacity of Ukrainian entrepreneurs.

We spoke with Ukrainian business representatives about their experience with the initiative and why this comprehensive support system is so effective.

Ukrainian eco-solutions for Sweden

The company “KVOTA” from Ternopil Oblast has been operating in the Ukrainian market for 35 years. The company was founded by design engineer Volodymyr Melykh and his partner Yulia, a mathematician, in 1991. Their goal was to develop tool production, in particular the design and manufacture of moulds for plastic parts. Since 2009, the company has been managed by Yulia, ensuring its stable development and expansion of production capabilities. Today, the Melykhs’ daughter Olha heads up the family business – her financial education at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and professional experience gained in Kyiv have prepared her to lead the family production.

“To put it simply, we create high-precision moulds into which plastic is poured to make a variety of products — from lipstick cases or glasses to toothbrushes and even automotive parts,” says “KVOTA”’s director. “In fact, most of the plastic objects that surround us were at one time a liquid mass that solidified in a specially designed form.”

The real test came in the year of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine — 2022. “Any crisis is a moment for a reset, and we completely rethought our development directions,” Olha recalls.

Despite serious external difficulties, the company received an ISO 9001 certificate, which is an international “quality mark” of processes within the company. Environmental friendliness was chosen as a new vector — the creation of moulds for bioplastic products.

This path led the company to consider expanding to one of the most environmentally friendly countries — Sweden. However, it was too risky to enter such a market “blindly.” So with the support of UNDP in Ukraine and funding from the Government of Sweden, the company attracted international expert Soledad Piñero Misa. She specializes in making business environmentally friendly and profitable at the same time.

For “KVOTA”, the main discovery during the consulting was the “reputational weight” of Sweden. “If you have violated any agreements anywhere or delivered low-quality goods to Malmö, the information will instantly reach Stockholm,” Olha shares. “Here, trust is the basis on which all transactions are built. If you blow it just once, there’s practically no chance of staying on the market.”

Another challenge was pitching — the presentation of one’s products. “In Ukraine, we’re used to small-print presentation paragraphs with all the technical characteristics,” says Olha. “It was difficult to persuade ourselves to make five concise cards instead of 50 slides. But you have to first present your products well, and only then will all the parameters be shared by the relevant specialists.”

The results of the consulting have already produced concrete results: Today the team is actively negotiating with potential partners in Sweden and is preparing for a series of meetings to discuss their first orders and opportunities for mass production.

Expert support for agribusiness technologies

The history of the Ukrainian company “TIKPACK” is closely linked to another organisation, “Zenith Expert”, which specialises in land management, geodesy, and legal support for agribusiness. It was there that Nataliia Syrotyuk, the current Chief Executive Officer of “TIKPACK”, previously worked. In 2021, she and her husband founded a packaging company. Their accumulated experience, deep understanding of the market, and connections with more than 250 agricultural enterprises became catalysts for further development.

When the primary consulting business effectively froze in 2022 — due to the suspension of state registers and the ban on land privatisation — a critical question arose: how could they save the team and their six branches in the western regions of Ukraine? The resulting strategic decision was to transfer their full efforts and expertise to the development of “TIKPACK”.

Initially, the focus was on food processing and the packaging of cereals; however, they later realised that the agricultural market required more than just food products. Leveraging their experience in managing vast land masses, the team identified an open niche in the technological maintenance of fields.

“The technological side is always much more interesting and has higher margins than simple processing,” says Taras Boichuk, Head of the Export Department at the company. “We saw the problems that farmers had been facing in the field for years, which remained unresolved, and realised that we could offer our own solution: the development and implementation of specialised equipment for precision and research farming.”

Implementing such an ambitious project required only one thing: highly specialised engineering and legal expertise. To address this need, the company turned to the PROMTECH platform.

This cooperation provided point reinforcement exactly where the business lacked resources. The consultants helped the team analyse the potential of their idea, provided support in complex engineering issues, and helped draw up a roadmap for creating a new production space.

“We came with a specific task,” Taras Boichuk shares frankly. “And we found a dedicated specialist for it. We clearly understood why we needed this advice. When these two factors — the entrepreneur's request and the consultant’s deep expertise — coincide, a real result appears.”

A separate role in this success was played by the format of interaction. In a world where the information space is overflowing with online courses, “TIKPACK” has relied on personal contact.

“I highly recommend, if possible, choosing offline consultations or personal communication with experts,” says Taras. “There is too much information available now, but you do not always understand its quality. Personal work with a mentor ensures you don’t just listen, but actually perform tasks and implement changes.”

Today, “TIKPACK” continues to work on prototypes of solutions for field cultivation and analysis. This project allowed the company not only to save jobs but also to transform from a consulting agency into a technology developer.

For reference: The Consulting Programme was conducted as part of the project “Enhanced Partnership for Sustainable Recovery”, implemented by UNDP with the financial support of the Government of Sweden. The project focuses, in particular, on sustainable economic development and support for MSMEs (micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises).

Photos provided by the companies “KVOTA” and “TIKPAСK”.