ITU Public Talks: How to conquer new markets and find customers

As a part of the expert discussion, is was talked about strategies for opening new markets, where to look for and how to attract investments in the IT business, how donor projects support the IT ecosystem of Ukraine, how to keep existing customers and attract new ones during the War, the importance of international branding. Nataliya Petrova, project manager, USAID;  Dmytro Mikhailenko, Managing Partner, Crowe Mikhailenko;  Serhii Khmelovsky, CEO, COAX Software shared their insights. The discussion was moderated by Dmytro Melnykovych, founder and CEO of digital marketing agency, WOO Company. Serhii Khmelovsky talked about new formats of cooperation with international partners, the plan of anti-crisis actions: how to attract new customers and retain existing ones, how to oust competitors from Belarus and Russia.  Thus, in the new conditions, safety factors, which require constant communication with partners and customers, have become a priority issue.  He believes that the crisis is an opportunity for business to adapt more and introduce new digital work formats.  In the new conditions, the offline business thinking paradigm is changing, and after the War, a new influx of customers and orders – including for the IT industry – may be expected. Dmytro Mykhaylenko shared his vision of the competitiveness of Ukraine’s IT industry in wartime, which is based on effective teams, well-established processes and business motivation to hold positions.  According to his strategy of entering foreign markets, it is necessary to have a front office abroad, legalize personnel, and structure the business.  For example, today an alternative to registering a company abroad can be registering it as a taxpayer in the country. Natalia Petrova, project manager, USAID, spoke about the possibilities of the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program, in particular, assistance to small and medium-sized businesses with the relocation or restoration of operations, expansion to foreign markets, how companies can attract investments through participation in international trade events, practical cases regarding entering new markets through the creation of alliances, improving business processes.  In her opinion, priority sectors of the economy with the greatest potential for growth remain IT and the creative industry.  Wartime encourages business to unite and develop a circular economy based on “sharing”.  Her vision of the strategy of development and entry into international markets is based on active participation in international events and activities, where the potential of industries can be fully presented, and their capabilities can be demonstrated.

I am glad to have the opportunity to join the initiatives of partners to support the IT sector in the regions.  I hope that during the discussion and during my speech I managed to dispel the myth that there are no grant proposals for the sector.  The US Agency for International Development has been supporting the technology sector since at least 2018, we are not stopping our activities, and the recently launched grant support of the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program, which supports startups and SMEs in the domestic and international markets, is a confirmation of this. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the current programs on the program’s Facebook page, Nataliya Petrova, project manager, USAID, said.

Dmytro Melnykovych, who moderated the discussion, also raised the issue of building a personal brand of the company CEO as a tool for increasing trust from a potential partner/client, how to build a company brand in an unfamiliar environment, whether participation in international events is necessary, how important it is to go abroad and the ‘e-vidryadjennia’ mechanism proposed by the government.  Thus, Dmytro Mykhaylenko believes that aggressive promotion on the market is more important than offline meetings, and e-vidryadjennia does not solve all business problems, for example, when it comes to the need for a longer staying abroad for the implementation of a project. Nataliya Petrova gave successful examples of collective branding within the Export Alliance project, when companies united for joint promotion in new Scandinavian markets.  On the other hand, Dmytro Mykhaylenko considers the personal brand to be an important promotion tool, in his opinion, the combination of partners’ personal brands together with powerful marketing provides the necessary level of integration that allows aggressive promotion in foreign markets. During the speeches, we talked with Natalia Petrova about the opportunities for Ukrainian IT regarding support and cooperation with USAID, as well as with Serhii Trifonov, partner in corporate finance, Crowe Mikhailenko, about the sources of attracting investments in the IT industry and its development prospects. The series of ITU Public talks #Frankivsk mentoring meetings is a joint project of the Western Ukrainian representative offices of the “IT Ukraine” Association and UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group, aimed at the development of regional IT potential, expansion of networking, exchange of experience and creative ideas.

By supporting the IT Ukraine Association and today’s event, we continue to work within the framework of the strategy of the BNP Paribas Group, of which UKRSIBBANK is a part.  Serving about 30% of the IT segment on the Ukrainian market, we clearly understand the needs and challenges faced by the IT industry.  For the convenience of working on international markets, we have deliberately developed special banking offers to serve such clients.  UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group is one of the leading banks in Ukraine in foreign currency transactions.  We have built a balanced portfolio of exporters and importers, thanks to which we can provide our clients with the best tariffs available on the market, even in times of instability and market volatility, Maryan Khomin, Head of Marketing Department UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group, said

Special thanks to our information partners Urban Space Radio, Crowe Mikhailenko, Work.ua, Happy Monday, Mind.UA. Previously, three ITU Public talks #Frankivsk events have already been held in Ivano-Frankivsk: on the advantages and challenges of the legal and tax space of Diia.City, on IT education in the realities of War, as well as on the strategy of promotion through team branding and networking. Traditionally, these topics aroused lively interest among our audience. The association will continue the good tradition of ITU Public talks #Frankivsk.  We will meet again soon!