On September 20, 2024, volunteers from the Ukrainian School of Elites participated in the Irpin Business Breakfast conference for the community of entrepreneurs in Kyiv, in partnership with the international movement FaithDriven Entrepreneur.
From the Ukrainian School of Elites, the conference attendees included Andriy Holotsvan, a board member and secretary of UASE (left in the photo), and Oles Dmytrenko, a volunteer and partner of UASE (center in the background), founder of the EdTech startup umova.online and head of GR at CFC Big Ideas.
The official title of the event was “FaithDriven Entrepreneurs: Trading Up: Navigating the Path to Surrender & Significance.”
Check out the “2024 Faith Driven Entrepreneur Conference” video trailer:
The conference was organized by Andriy Shekhovtsov, founder of the “Irpin Business Breakfast” movement, official representative of the Faith Driven Entrepreneur international movement in Ukraine, and founder of the Outsource Ukraine IT consulting company.
Events under the FaithDriven Entrepreneur banner follow a unique format. The first part is a so-called “watch party,” where attendees analyze video content professionally developed by partners and like-minded individuals from FaithDriven Entrepreneur in a “cinema” setting. Those who do not understand English can use Ukrainian subtitles at the bottom of the screen.
The theme was “more than money.” It discussed businesses founded by Christians from various parts of the world, from the USA to Hong Kong, and from small to large enterprises with billion-dollar turnovers. Attendees had the opportunity to listen to testimonies from successful directors and founders, sharing their successes, challenges, and spiritual experiences.
During the event, the partner company Folks Coffee Roasters treated everyone to exquisite coffee of their own production. Their motto is “People. Emotions. Coffee.”
After the video presentation, a lunch break was announced, featuring sophisticated snacks provided by a local catering business. Interestingly, the event took place at the Irpin Bible Church, which perfectly served the needs of the organizers and participants. The “snack area” was located on the ground floor of the building, providing additional comfort and an opportunity to relax from the information-packed segment while enjoying refined flavors.
The value of the second part of the conference was the opportunity to hear the experiences of Ukrainian experts and ask them personal questions while discussing current issues over coffee. Who were the notable Ukrainian specialists present?
Victor Yevpak — founder of the IT company eKreative (150 employees), and startups MapaMagic, Kidslox (parental control app), and FoodHacker. In 2015, he founded Cherkasy IT Cluster NGO. A well-known public figure and entrepreneur, in August 2023, Victor and his team launched their own FPV drone production company eDrone, which currently has all the necessary certifications and assists the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Andriy Denysov — CEO and co-founder of the technology company TechVision Global, primarily working with clients from the USA. He has been in business for 15 years. Co-organizer of the Global Leadership Summit in Lviv (GLS Lviv), attended by 1,000 participants. He creates Ukrainian-language YouTube content (for example, translating Craig Groeschel’s leadership podcast into Ukrainian) and supports charitable projects.
Mark Marchenko — founder of SENSAR Development. He started his career in IT but later transitioned to construction, applying innovative approaches. He graduated with a master’s degree in Construction and Civil Engineering. Among Mark’s projects are Comfort City residential complex, KVARTAL residential complex, Vidnova, UniClinic medical center, Smart House and Smart Hill apartment complexes, and the GORA Forest Complex.
Attendees gained a lot of inspiration and support from speakers of such caliber. All practitioners felt the cold breath of war and had suffered in one way or another from its consequences, which affected both their businesses and lives. However, they all found the strength to rise, move forward, and take risks. All three discovered new opportunities amidst and despite the crisis.
After the dialogue on stage moderated by Andriy Shekhovtsov, conference participants were able to ask personal questions to the speakers and receive immediate answers from one or all of them.
For the Ukrainian School of Elites, this event was useful and important as it reinforced our goals of forming a competent and socially responsible society. Practically, we found new like-minded individuals and partners. This event provided us with a great opportunity for networking, strengthening our mission, and refreshing our vision.
