Briefly
Program description
The VETERAN BUSINESS LAB Training and Grant Program—a business accelerator for Ukraine’s male and female defenders—is presented by IREX and the NGO EasyBusiness. The program is designed for male and female veterans who are already engaged in entrepreneurial activities, own an active micro, small, or medium-sized business, and seek to develop and scale it.
As part of the program, 40 selected businesses will participate in a 3-day intensive in-person boot camp in Kyiv or Lviv. During the training, participants will work with experts on business models, finances, marketing, business processes, and development strategies, and will also prepare their own business development projects.
Based on the results of the business pitch, 20 winners will be selected. Each will receive up to $10,000 to implement their own business development and scaling project, as well as individual mentoring support.
In total, the VETERAN BUSINESS LAB program provides up to $200,000 in funding for the development of veteran-owned businesses.
Main Information
Eligibility
Business must have been registered no later than 1 August 2025 and have actually operated for at least one year by application date. No minimum revenue requirement is established.
Financing
Eligible expenses :
equipment, machinery, components, materials, software, and licenses necessary for the implementation of a business project. Expenses must be directly related to the enterprise’s activities and justified by its development or expansion.
Ineligible expenses :
Repairs, renovations, and restoration of premises or buildings are not eligible for funding. Also ineligible are goods, services, equipment, and software related to the military sector or military training, including equipment and software for training UAV/FPV operators, aviation and FPV simulators, etc.
Supported Activities
Production expansion; equipment purchase; new product launches; customer acquisition; entry into new markets; improvement of business model, finance, marketing and business processes; other justified scaling activities
Roadmap
Application → eligibility/selection → 40 businesses → 3-day Kyiv/Lviv bootcamp → development project preparation → business pitch → 20 winners → grant → individual mentoring
Evaluation Criteria
Initial assessment covers veteran status and legal, territorial, sectoral, reputational and business eligibility. Final winners are selected following the business pitch.
Required Documents
Online application and documents required to verify applicant status and business eligibility under the RFA/Eligibility Criteria
Reporting and Compliance
Grant funds must be used for the approved business development project and in accordance with programme rules.
Legal Terms
Applicant must have eligible veteran status and operate a registered active business. For legal entities, 100% of corporate rights must belong to war veterans. Business must comply with Ukrainian law and programme eligibility requirements.