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Every year, Ukrainian businesses are becoming more agile and adaptable. Entrepreneurs are seeking new opportunities even amidst the war: expanding markets, opening new niches, and implementing technological solutions. This topic was discussed during the first session of the EIT Food Challenge Labs 2025, where mentors taught young agritech companies how to scale their businesses in Ukraine and abroad.
The speakers of the program, Andrii Myroniuk, founder of Myroniuk Consulting, an ITU Member company, and Maxym Paraska, CEO and founder of Bandera Agency, an ITU Parner company, are convinced that Ukrainian businesses have every chance to scale even in crisis conditions. So, what do entrepreneurs need to enter new markets and develop there? We have gathered the key insights from the mentors of the program.
Entering a new market means new rules, and what worked at home doesn’t always work abroad. Every country has its own specifics: from culture to economic conditions. Entrepreneurs who successfully adapt to local realities are likely to succeed. Agility is not only a sign of adaptability but also strategic maturity.
Before starting, decide which market you want to enter. Where to play — choosing the country is critical. How to win — this is about your value proposition: what sets you apart from competitors? How to stay — establish partnerships, build communities, and focus on quick wins to gain confidence in the new environment. This is exactly what helps businesses not only enter the market but also solidify their position there.
When selecting a market, don’t rely on intuition, but focus on clear criteria: market size and dynamics, competition, regulations, cultural similarity, available sales channels, consumer purchasing power, and political risks. Don’t hesitate to perform in-depth analysis to choose the most promising market for your business.
Instead of investing significant resources in entering a single market, try running mini-tests in several countries. This will help minimise risks and understand where your product has the highest chance of success. Testing across multiple markets will give you more data and help you make a more informed decision about scaling.
In the B2B segment, it is important to focus on specific accounts and work with them personally, rather than trying to target all companies indiscriminately. Account-Based Marketing (ABM) helps focus on potentially profitable clients and build individual, long-term relationships with them.
For businesses entering EU or US markets, LinkedIn is the primary platform for building a brand and creating a network of contacts. It’s not just a social network but an effective tool for visibility, expert content, and attracting potential partners and clients.
AI can assist in content generation, demand forecasting, process automation, chatbots, and audience segmentation. However, results must always be verified and refined by humans. Don’t rely on automation without checking its effectiveness.
Thus, entering new markets is not about intuition but about systematic work: strategy, analysis, testing, and the right marketing. The tips from EIT Food Challenge Labs 2025 mentors can serve as a roadmap for every Ukrainian entrepreneur looking to scale their business.
This material is based on the first session of EIT Food Challenge Labs 2025. Future meetings will continue the theme of global scaling, with a focus on practical tools for agritech and tech businesses.
EIT Food Challenge Labs 2025 is implemented on the initiative of EIT Food. The project is implemented by the Amplifiers Program in partnership with IT Ukraine Association, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Diia.City, national project Diia.Business, the Ukrainian Agrarian Export Association. The project contributes to the implementation of the AgroTech sectoral strategy in line with the WINWIN Ukrainian Global Innovation Strategy and creates new opportunities for the innovative growth of Ukrainian companies in agro and foodtech.
