From AI to AgriTech: Eight Ukrainian Deep Tech Startups Complete Science & Business Acceleration

On November 21 in Kyiv, eight teams took the stage with one mission — to convince experts in five minutes that their technologies will transform industries. The final Pitch Day of the Science & Business Acceleration program marked the culmination of six months of intensive work, where scientific developments evolved into products ready to scale.

The program was launched by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Startup Fund together with SET University, eō Business Incubator, and Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship. The mission is clear: help Ukrainian scientists navigate the journey from proof of concept to product-market fit.

Demo Day Lineup

Eight science-intensive startup teams made the journey from hypotheses to validated business models. At the finale, they presented solutions in AgroTech, BioTech, GreenTech, MedTech, and Dual-use:

CAMS-AIR makes heart surgeries more precise. Their AI assistant analyzes data during bypass operations in real time and suggests optimal solutions for each patient.

Synteza AI solves the main problem of computer vision — the lack of quality data for training models. The platform generates photorealistic synthetic datasets from factories, warehouses, and refineries in minutes. No cameras, no manual labeling.

Airborne Radar platform is a radar for drones that operates 24/7 in any weather. It detects targets at distances up to 100 meters and transmits threat coordinates in real time, including EW systems.

Astrum Heat creates energy-efficient electric radiators for economical heating.

IWOQ (short for “Insulin Without Queues”) is an app for people with type 1 diabetes. It simplifies the process of obtaining insulin prescriptions and makes communication with doctors faster.

NMC extracts lithium where others see waste. Direct lithium extraction technology transforms produced water from oil and gas operations into valuable raw materials for batteries.

GrainMole is an IoT system for grain elevators. Sensors monitor grain condition in real time and predict spoilage, helping companies lose less product.

Yharvest is a cloud platform powered by neural networks that forecasts crop yields, recommends optimal fertilizers, and helps select hybrid varieties adapted to specific conditions.

Top 3 Startups

The jury evaluated not only technologies but also teams’ readiness to scale. Winners received resources for their next growth stage:

Synteza AI took the grand prize — three tickets to VivaTech 2026 in Paris and $25K in AWS credits. It’s one of Europe’s largest tech events, bringing together investors, corporations, and startups from around the world.

Yharvest received $25K in AWS credits to develop cloud infrastructure.

GrainMole also received $25K in AWS credits to scale their platform.

What Was Under the Hood

Over six months, teams immersed themselves in frameworks used by Y Combinator, Techstars, and other top-tier accelerators:

• Built individual roadmaps with clear KPIs
• Worked through Lean Canvas and learned to formulate value propositions
• Tested hypotheses with real customers
• Conducted competitive analysis and market sizing
• Defined their ICP (ideal customer profile) and market segments

The program was led by practitioners with international experience: Charles Whitehead (eō Business Incubators), Felix Litvinsky (Blackstone LaunchPad), Rhonda Shrader (Berkeley Haas), Yevheniia Klepa (SET University), Dmytro Tymoshenko (Eightify), Oksana Krykun (INNOV8), Maksym Zosyma (CLUST), Alex Syniacheva (Moeco), Serhii Kudriashov (ZAS ventures), Mariia Yatsenko (Centrifuge), Anita Yaryna (IP & Tech Legal Counsel), Maryna Korshevniuk (Apixmed LLC), Martin Kovalok and Maria Knodt (keywords.agency), John Breslin (University of Galway), Bohdan Khomych (SoftServe), and other experts.

Why This Matters

Ukraine has a strong scientific foundation, but innovations often remain in laboratories. Science & Business Acceleration is a bridge between R&D and commercialization. The program teaches scientists to speak the language of business, find product-market fit, and prepare for fundraising.

It’s part of the WINWIN strategy and the Roadmap for developing Ukraine’s startup ecosystem. Since 2021, the program has been helping deep tech projects become globally competitive products. Because technologies without a go-to-market strategy are just cool experiments.

The program is co-financed by the European Union through the EIT initiative for higher education (cohort 4) within the framework of the project “Knowledge Rise: Sustainable development of blue and green economies through Deep Tech – development of innovation potential in higher education”. The project is part of the broader CloudEARTHi initiative. The EIT initiative for higher education is coordinated by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).