Clinical psychologist Ivan Osadchyy brought his medical device, called Knopka, to this year’s CES show in Las Vegas in hopes of making it to hospitals in the US.
The past year has been tough for startups everywhere, but running a company in Ukraine during the Russian invasion comes with an entirely different set of challenges.
Clinical psychologist Ivan Osadchyy brought his medical device, called Knopka, to this year’s CES show in Las Vegas in hopes of making it to hospitals in the US.
He is one of dozens of Ukrainians starting a business supported by a government fund that was present at CES this year to showcase their technology to the world.
“Two of the hospitals that we operated in the past have been destroyed and one is still occupied. So this is the biggest challenge,” Osadchyy said.
“The second challenge is for our production and our team because they are destroying our electrical system and it is very difficult for people to work without lights, no heating in their apartment. them,” he said.
He came up with the device after spending a year with his grandmother in the hospital and noticing that he had to keep an eye on the nurses when she needed something.
The system works by notifying nurses when a patient has an irregular heartbeat, is about to receive treatment, or needs help. Nurses can’t turn off their button until they’ve solved the problem.
“We are still working and operating because hospitals are still open and we need to support them and bring efficiency and patient safety,” he said.
Karina Kudriavtseva of the government-backed Ukraine Startup Fund, says that, like Knopka, all of the country’s startups have continued to thrive since the Russian invasion nearly a year ago.
“Times have changed, their conditions have changed, but that can only make them stronger because all startups are working with the goal of saving the company, saving the team, saving the business. careers and save their lives, of course,” she said.
The invasion forced Valentyn Frechka to move in Francebut he said his Releaf paper company has never stopped production.
When she was 16 years old, Frechka decided to research alternative sources of cellulose to reduce deforestation. Now, he has developed a technology that uses fallen leaves and recycled fibers to make paper.
The company’s main product is paper shopping bags, but it also manufactures food packaging, egg trays and corrugated boxes.
Frechka said the conflict has forced the company to become more flexible and open to opportunities.
“When this conflict happened and we located our company in France, we found a lot of new partners and we raised funds. We have enhanced money for our needs,” he said. “So it really makes we more open to the world.”
