On Sunday, November 23, Greencubator held the first-ever Cleantech Sunday – a gathering of Ukraine’s green innovation ecosystem that brought together startups, investors, experts, and industry partners. The event marked the culmination of the first stage of the Global Cleantech Innovation Program 2.0 (GCIP 2.0) in Ukraine, implemented by UNIDO across 17 countries with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Greencubator serves as the implementation partner of GCIP 2.0 in Ukraine.
Cleantech Sunday brought together Ukrainian innovators working on solutions in energy independence, decarbonization, and sustainable development, along with venture and energy investors, as well as leaders of green businesses previously supported by Greencubator.
GCIP Ukraine 2.0 Finalist Startups
On the Cleantech Sunday stage at UNIT.City, 15 startups presented their final pitches. They are developing solutions in solar energy, eco-housing, sustainable furniture, biotechnology and new materials, clean water, e-mobility, eco-cosmetics, and logistics.
Six of the participating startups – including SPOGAD, Re[Sens], and Mycelia Tech – are led by women founders, highlighting the growing role of women in developing clean technologies in Ukraine.
Cleantech Sunday Jury
The finalists were evaluated by:
- Mariia Alipatova, Head of KSE Startup Ecosystem;
- Roman Puchko, Co-founder and Director of ReThink; Board Member of the RISE Ukraine and Build Ukraine Back Better (BUBB) coalitions;
- Natalia Veremeeva, Director at TechUkraine.
Winners
According to the jury’s decision, the winners of the GCIP Ukraine 2.0 advanced accelerator are:
1st Place – Sirocco Energy
Developing patented linear wind turbines with low noise and vibration levels designed for suburban and industrial installation.
2nd Place – MELT WATER Inc.
Creating smart freeze-thaw water purification devices for households and businesses.
3rd Place – Briller.House
Producing fast-assembly carbon-negative houses, offices, and hotel capsules using CNC-driven digital manufacturing technology.
Investors and InvestorConnect
After the pitches, startups met with investors in a speed-dating format, including:
- Vlad Tislenko, Partner at SMRK VC Fund
- Olena Obukhova, Startup evaluator and mentor at FundingBox
- Dmytro Kuzmenko, CEO of UVCA
- Dmytro Lukomskyi, Chairman of the Committee for Investments Attraction in the Solar Energy Sector, PhD, and Founder of Avenston
These meetings offered startups recommendations, collaboration opportunities, and discussions around potential grants and investments.
About the GCIP Ukraine 2.0 Advanced Accelerator
The four-month GCIP Ukraine 2.0 program included 16 educational modules covering the full startup journey – from goal-setting, organizational development, and customer discovery to finance, marketing, sales, pilot projects, climate impact, manufacturing, partnerships, and scaling strategy.
The program engaged 25 experts and mentors from leading companies and organizations, including Esper Bionics, Yamaha Motors, Amazon, Ajax Systems, Citadel, PROS, Streamline, Eleks, Green Transition Office, as well as founders of rekava, S.Lab, Carbominer, Deus Robotics, LCF Law Group, Delamark, Manageable Agency, Enablers School, Arriba! Creative Agency, and lecturers from KSE and UCU.
The winning teams will represent Ukraine on the main stage of Cleantech Days in Vienna – a UNIDO global event that brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers from 20 countries to exchange experience and explore solutions in the clean technology sector.
Media partners of Cleantech Sunday: Mind.ua, SPEKA, and Shotam. Legal partner of the accelerator: LCF Law Group. Innovation partner: UNIT.City.
Roman Zinchenko, Co-founder of Greencubator, sustainability and energy innovation expert:
“World War II shaped Europe’s centralized, coal-based energy system. Today, russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are brutally destroying generation facilities and grids – but at the same time they are dismantling the old paradigm of the system itself, accelerating the shift toward a new model: decentralized, flexible, and sustainable, built on distributed and renewable energy sources. This transition requires not only technological solutions, but also the large-scale development of entrepreneurial talent capable of creating the energy and climate decacorns of the future. Cleantech Sunday is an investment in the ecosystem that is nurturing the next generation of innovators who can build this new energy reality.”
