Today YEP Accelerator announced that it is opening a new office in California and launching an international track for growth-stage Ukrainian startups looking to enter the US market.
The new track is designed for Ukrainian startups that already have a live product, paying customers, and ambitions to scale in the US.
Unlike traditional accelerator programs, this program focuses on hands-on market-entry preparation rather than theory. The San Francisco residency includes a five-week immersion into the local startup ecosystem.
Founders will live and work together through a coliving and coworking setup designed to help them stay fully focused on growth, fundraising, and networking.
Participants get access to major tech events, including San Francisco Tech Week. At a final Demo Day, startups will pitch for access to up to $1.8 million in potential investment from partner venture funds, including u.ventures, ZAS Ventures, Geek Ventures, Angel One Fund, Vesna Capital, Green Flag Ventures, Network VC, Dnipro VC, and Flyer One Ventures.
The European startup ecosystem has increasingly focused on building stronger international support networks for founders expanding abroad. It joins initiatives such as the European Startup Embassy, a shared landing pad and community hub for startups and VCs from Central and Eastern Europe expanding into the US, and Entrepreneur First, which has also created The Bridge for startups operating in Silicon Valley.
The program is open to startups that:
- Have a product on the market and paying customers.
- Operate in B2B SaaS or other scalable business models.
- Are planning to enter the US market within the next 12 months.
- Are preparing to raise venture funding in Silicon Valley.
Throughout the program, founders will work on:
- Building a US sales pipeline;
- Developing a scalable go-to-market strategy;
- Expanding their network in Silicon Valley;
- Preparing for meetings with potential customers and investors.
The YEP acceleration program is supported by the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, which invests in building a competitive economy and creating strong, sustainable business opportunities across the region.
The program is also implemented with support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development as part of its Star Venture Programme in Ukraine, funded by Switzerland through the EBRD Small Business Impact Fund. YEP’s broader development and acceleration capacity expansion are additionally backed through the same initiative, supported by an international group of fund donors including Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Taiwan Business–EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Applications are open through May 31.
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