Phenomenon Studio is supporting Ukrainian businesses under KSE and IOM Initiative

We are excited to announce that Phenomenon Studio has recently joined the non-profit initiative led by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This initiative aims to support and help Ukrainian small, medium, and large businesses affected by the war adapt to new realities and markets.

About KSE and IOM Initiative

Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) is the premier graduate school for economics, public policy, and management in Ukraine and ranks among the top economic schools in Eastern Europe. It offers economics, business, and public policy & governance programs, along with multiple midterm programs. KSE has assembled top-tier leaders and change-makers who strive to build a robust and innovative Ukrainian economy. The school has launched and supported numerous charity and non-profit initiatives to aid Ukrainians in the medical, military, civilian, and business sectors.

Under one such social initiative, the KSE Graduate Business School provides consulting services to over 100 Ukrainian entrepreneurs, while over 200 enterprises will receive consultations from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This support helps businesses anticipate challenges and opportunities arising from the war, define priority activities and growth areas, find international partners, and identify new potential markets for export. In essence, this initiative is designed to bolster the resilience and strength of Ukrainian businesses despite the harsh realities of war.

One of the program’s experts, Oleg Zubchenok, who also serves as a Board Advisor at Phenomenon Studio, has 18 years of experience in business development, operations, and sales with companies such as Shell, the Ukrainian Oil & Gas Association, Softserves, and others. Driven by his desire to support Ukrainian businesses as much as possible, Mr. Zubchenok introduced the initiative to the Phenomenon team and encouraged us to join.

Phenomenon team helping Ukrainian businesses

As an international company with many projects and clients, the Phenomenon team has developed profound digital and design expertise by working with foreign partners across various markets and niches. We recognize that our expertise could be crucial—and potentially life-saving—for Ukrainian companies affected by the war, especially those for whom digitalization and international expansion are keys to growth.

By joining this initiative, we are offering our digital and design expertise, product development approach, and international experience to help some Ukrainian businesses not only stay afloat during these challenging times but also grow and expand into new markets.

To begin, Phenomenon has selected several businesses under the KSE program to support. We will leverage our expertise, resources, and talents to help these businesses grow and expand. We believe these are the companies for which our experience is most relevant, most desired, and of the greatest importance.

About Robot School project

One of these is Robot School, a Ukrainian institution that enables kids to learn robotics and related sciences engagingly and interactively. Robot School offers STEM education for children aged 4 to 16, providing them with theoretical and practical skills in programming and robotics using tools like Lego, Arduino, Makeblock, and Fischertechnik constructors.

Faced with challenges from COVID-19 and the ongoing war, the company is focusing on attracting new students, recruiting qualified teachers, and expanding both geographically and digitally. This is where Phenomenon can provide significant assistance.

Leveraging our extensive experience with edTech projects and our recent expansion into Switzerland, we have already begun revamping the platform to elevate its capabilities. Following a scoping meeting with stakeholders from Robot School, our design team is actively developing a new branding and design system for the school. Looking ahead, we have even grander plans—to collaboratively create an intuitive and advanced education platform that will enable even more children to access and engage with programming and robotics interactively.

Military-tech company Griselda

Apart from supporting small and medium-sized businesses under the KSE program, Phenomenon is also dedicated to aiding local startups. That’s why we constantly explore other impactful non-profit initiatives, meetups, and organizations, such as the 1991 Accelerator.

The 1991 Accelerator is a Ukrainian accelerator that assists startups in establishing scalable businesses and developing both Ukrainian and global ecosystems. It fosters synergy among the startup community, businesses, and the public sector to implement innovative solutions and achieve significant economic breakthroughs.

One such breakthrough is Griselda, an automated system that uses artificial intelligence to manage the input, processing, and transmission of information. This project is crucial for wartime Ukraine and its rapid recovery, demining operations, and post-war progress.

Griselda specializes in the high-speed and high-quality processing of large data streams, ensuring their safe storage and automating input and transfer processes. It incorporates automatic analysis modules and neural networks to process information that can later save lives on the battlefield, aid in demining territories, or introduce new business solutions.

The Phenomenon team is focused on promoting the startup and increasing public awareness. To achieve this, our motion designers are creating an informative and engaging series of films that will help civilians understand Griselda’s potential in a captivating way.

Summing up

Surely, this is only a start and part of the projects Phenomenon plans to support and lend its expertise to. We do dream big. Our biggest dream is to create a prosperous, competitive, international business ecosystem in Ukraine. For that, we offer what we can do best – creating & expanding great digital products that will ‘wow’ users. We are sure we can all help Ukrainian businesses uncover their potential in the world.