Startup Wise Guys

Startup Wise Guys is a prominent early-stage investor based in Tallinn, Estonia, recognized as one of the leading venture capital funds in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region and the Nordics. Since its inception in 2012, it has operated a renowned startup accelerator that has supported over 165 startups, primarily in sectors such as B2B SaaS, Fintech, and Cybersecurity. The intensive three-month program aims to validate, develop, and market products to business clients, benefiting from the guidance of more than 200 mentors. The accelerator culminates in Demo Days and attendance at major tech events, providing startups the opportunity to pitch to investors. With a startup survival and success rate exceeding 77%, the program has facilitated two major exits and fosters a robust alumni network of over 145 startups across more than 40 countries. Additionally, Startup Wise Guys manages specific funds targeting investments in various sectors, including technology and clean tech, with a focus on early-stage ventures.

Alexandra Balkova

Partner

Egita Polanska

Program & Partnerships in SEE and Venture Partner in Italy

Past deals in Ukraine

Knowledgator

Convertible Note in 2022
Knowledgator develops an advanced search engine tailored for the Life Sciences community, utilizing modern natural language processing (NLP) technologies to facilitate researchers' access to and analysis of data. The platform features a semantic search engine with four distinct search modes: word-and-phrase level search, sentence-based search, question and answering search, and metadata search. Additionally, it employs algorithms to construct knowledge graphs from textual data, enabling users to visualize relationships and uncover hidden patterns. Knowledgator's system enhances data processing efficiency, allowing researchers to focus on analysis rather than data collection. All features are integrated into a single platform, which prioritizes semantic search, providing a user-friendly experience. This comprehensive approach enables Life Sciences organizations and researchers to transform biomedical and business data into actionable insights, ultimately supporting better decision-making in their work.

S.Lab

Grant in 2022
S.Lab is a manufacturer of biodegradable packaging and decorations made of hemp and mycelium.

Jiffsy

Pre Seed Round in 2021
No-code frontend platform for e-commerce with AI recommendations to launch an engaging storefront in a few clicks and increase sales by 20%. The company was founded in 2021 and is based in Kyiv.

uTrigg

Pre Seed Round in 2021
uTrigg develops a data management platform analyzes user behavior and determines their mood when interacting with a brand. It caters to transport and logistics, marketing research agencies, industry and energy, social organizations, educational sphere, and health care industries. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Kiev, Ukraine with additional office in Tallin, Estonia.

Hirio

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Hirio is an online platform that leverages artificial intelligence to streamline the recruitment process for large-scale hiring. Founded in 2020 and based in Kiev, Ukraine, Hirio offers a smart toolbox designed to automate various aspects of the applicant funnel, helping mass recruitment teams to reduce repetitive tasks, organize candidate information, and effectively filter qualifications for different job positions. By enhancing efficiency in recruitment, Hirio aims to simplify the hiring process while ensuring that teams can focus on more strategic activities.

BannerBoo

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Bannerboo is a creative management platform for marketers who need to create engaging high CTR ads. Bannerboo helps to create, automate and accelerate rich-media ad campaigns. Unlike other creative platforms, we are focusing on non-standard high impact innovative ad formats and allow to build them from scratch.

BotsCrew

Pre Seed Round in 2020
BotsCrew specializes in developing chatbots that enhance communication between businesses and their customers through instant messaging. These chatbots function as virtual customer service representatives, effectively simulating human interaction to provide support on websites and facilitate marketing outreach. By automating customer service, BotsCrew's solutions help businesses streamline their operations, generate leads, and enhance brand engagement. The company's focus is on creating valuable tools that initiate potential customers into the sales process while improving overall customer experience.

Casers

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Casers is a web-based platform established in 2015 and headquartered in Kiev, Ukraine, that facilitates case competitions and online hackathons. The platform connects business and government entities with universities, allowing for the resolution of real-world cases. It aims to enhance communication between companies and educational institutions while making case study learning accessible to a global audience, catering to both synchronous and asynchronous learners. Through its interactive simulations, Casers promotes engagement and collaboration, providing a space for users to develop practical solutions to contemporary challenges.

Ticketsell

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Ticketsell.ai is an AI-powered platform that enhances ticket sales for concerts and sports events. Founded in 2018 and based in Kiev, Ukraine, the platform offers a suite of products, including Top Competition, Top Sales, and Top Price, which evaluate market demand and dynamically adjust ticket prices. By collecting and analyzing sales data from various sources and event categories, Ticketsell.ai generates actionable insights that enable promoters to implement demand-driven pricing strategies. This approach addresses inefficiencies in ticket pricing, helping to mitigate profit losses for event organizers and reduce consumer frustration in the marketplace.

Ninja Lender

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Ninja Lender, founded in 2018 and based in Kyiv, Ukraine, operates a business-to-business marketplace that facilitates the buying and selling of rejected loan applications among credit institutions. The platform enables banks and lending companies to connect with alternative credit providers, allowing them to offer loans to clients who were initially denied. This process not only enhances financial inclusion for rejected borrowers but also helps financial institutions reduce customer acquisition costs and improve customer loyalty. By streamlining the loan application process, Ninja Lender aims to create a more efficient marketplace for credit services.

Ninja Lender

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Ninja Lender, founded in 2018 and based in Kyiv, Ukraine, operates a business-to-business marketplace that facilitates the buying and selling of rejected loan applications among credit institutions. The platform enables banks and lending companies to connect with alternative credit providers, allowing them to offer loans to clients who were initially denied. This process not only enhances financial inclusion for rejected borrowers but also helps financial institutions reduce customer acquisition costs and improve customer loyalty. By streamlining the loan application process, Ninja Lender aims to create a more efficient marketplace for credit services.

BloknotApp

Seed Round in 2018
BloknotApp Ou is a Ukraine-based company that specializes in providing online customer relationship management (CRM) software tailored for beauty and wellness salons. Launched in 2017 by Nestor Koylyak in Lviv, the software enables salon owners to manage their businesses remotely, offering features such as online bookings, business analytics, client retention strategies, and team productivity tools. Additionally, BloknotApp automates essential financial processes, including payroll and cash flow reporting, thereby streamlining operations for salon managers.

Pibox

Pre Seed Round in 2018
Pibox develops a messenger application for mobile and web platforms. Its application allows users to message and send files; store, manage, and synchronize files in the cloud; and have file-centered chats. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in Kyiv, Ukraine.

CoinyPay

Pre Seed Round in 2018
CoinyPay is a chatbot technology provider for Banks and Payment Service Providers that enables one-tap payments.

VRNET

Pre Seed Round in 2017
VRNET.IO automatically convert 3D CAD models into VR and AR experiences. We live in a 3D world, we can feel the scale, space, distances and height. Architects and interior designers show their projects with blueprints and 2D renders. Thus, out of 50 architects, from 9 countries, 90% have experienced communication problems with their clients. We solve this problem by taking their 3D models and converting them into VR walkthroughs where they can feel the scale, the distances and height, like in real life.

Publicfast

Pre Seed Round in 2016
Publicfast Labs, Inc. is a company based in Kyiv, Ukraine, that offers an online marketing tool designed to enhance business promotion on social media through influencers and opinion leaders. It operates a self-serve marketplace that enables brands to find, hire, and analyze suitable influencers to achieve their marketing objectives. Publicfast utilizes an AI solution that recommends the most appropriate creators for each brand based on specific needs, while also providing clear analytics to track return on investment (ROI). This allows brands to effectively assess the performance of their influencer marketing efforts and optimize their strategies accordingly.

StepShot

Pre Seed Round in 2016
StepShot provides an application to create step by step software documentation. It offers StepShot, a software tool that allows users to create step-by-step user guides and manuals and share them in different formats. The company’s StepShot follows user’s cursor and each click produces a screenshot. StepShot is based in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. As of August 7, 2019, StepShot operates as a subsidiary of UiPath Inc..

PromoRepublic

Pre Seed Round in 2014
PromoRepublic is a SaaS company based in Kyiv, Ukraine, that specializes in social media content automation for small and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 2014, the platform enhances the quality of social media posts on networks such as Facebook and Instagram by providing automation tools and customizable templates. PromoRepublic enables users to create and manage engaging marketing campaigns, including contests and sweepstakes, to attract and retain customers. The company serves a diverse clientele, including digital agencies and large corporations, and has achieved consistent growth, with over 50,000 registered users and 2.5 million social media posts published through its platform. Its technology aims to improve online visibility and maintain brand integrity for businesses with multiple locations.

PromoRepublic

Seed Round in 2014
PromoRepublic is a SaaS company based in Kyiv, Ukraine, that specializes in social media content automation for small and medium-sized businesses. Founded in 2014, the platform enhances the quality of social media posts on networks such as Facebook and Instagram by providing automation tools and customizable templates. PromoRepublic enables users to create and manage engaging marketing campaigns, including contests and sweepstakes, to attract and retain customers. The company serves a diverse clientele, including digital agencies and large corporations, and has achieved consistent growth, with over 50,000 registered users and 2.5 million social media posts published through its platform. Its technology aims to improve online visibility and maintain brand integrity for businesses with multiple locations.