Ukrainian IT companies have created the UA Tech Network. We understand the main promises: subcontracts, joint projects, and mentoring

A new association of IT companies-UA Tech Network — has appeared in Ukraine. It was founded by Sigma Software, IdeaSoft (a member of the Sigma Software Group) and UA Tech Club. The association, according to the founders, focuses on supporting and developing small and medium-sized businesses.

DOU turned to Anatoly Klepach — founder and CEO of UA Tech Club, as well as head of UA Tech Network — and asked to tell about this initiative and what it has to offer to it people. We publish its main theses.

What is the UA Tech Network?

UA Tech Network is not an IT association or club, it is an informal association of companies to promote business development, including small and medium-sized businesses, and create new service areas and products.

Why did you decide to create an association? Sigma Software Group has more than 20 years of experience in the IT market and expertise in 10 different business domains, contracts with foreign clients, and contacts that it is ready to share. Thanks to this, small companies will be able to work with global giants such as Boeing, Volvo and others. But this is not only about finances, but also about the development and mentoring support, marketing promotion of small companies in the market.

Most small and medium-sized IT businesses were founded by self-taught people: some were developers and wanted to start their own business, while others moved from another industry altogether. At a certain level of development, every business faces management and growth challenges, as responsibility and requirements increase. Our association will allow you to learn from large companies how to move on to the next stages of development and build processes correctly.

What does unification do for small and medium-sized IT businesses in wartime conditions? Even before the war, such companies could not afford a large marketing budget and for the most part did not have foreign representative offices, and therefore access to cooperation with enterprise clients. In the meantime, many people have additional problems attracting new contracts due to the fear of customers to cooperate with Ukrainian companies.

Main areas of cooperation within the association

UA Tech Network has three main formats of cooperation between companies in the service business:

Large companies, such as Sigma Software, which have many projects and open vacancies, can partner with other members of the association under a subcontractor or outstaff model. This will allow smaller companies to receive more profitable orders and open up access to the experience of building business processes. A small company that has a potential client can involve Sigma Software managers and developers to negotiate a contract. By agreement, the parties determine which company will be responsible for managing the entire project. Participating companies can apply for mentoring support from Sigma Software and jointly develop business processes.Participating companies can use the association as a sales funnel. They will be further combined by joint marketing, so they will be able to receive more new orders.

UA Tech Network aims to develop the IT brand of Ukraine in order to attract more financially profitable contracts. And this cannot be done without consolidating resources and efforts.

There is already a successful case of such cooperation. Unicsoft, which specializes in blockchain, joined Whimsy Games, which works in game development, as part of the association, and they jointly signed a million-dollar contract. Without such a partnership, firstly, Whimsy Games would not have had a project, and secondly, the country's budget would have received less funds. Such partnerships are easier to create within the framework of combining IT companies.

We also plan to work with product companies and startups. Thanks to their connections and a large number of clients, the founders of the Association have the opportunity to validate many ideas, as well as bring startups to the international level. In addition, any service company dreams of its own product.

One of the areas of work is to find similar requests from different customers and create a product not only for them, but also for sale to customers from all over the world.

Who can become a member of the UA Tech Network

The association has been operating for almost a month. When an application is received from possible participants, we study information about the company and the founder. I personally conduct interviews with membership candidates. Once a week, Valery Krasovsky, CEO and co-founder of Sigma Software, and Andrey Lazorenko, co-founder and CEO of IdeaSoft, a member of the Sigma Software Group, consult and make decisions.

Among the main requirements for candidates: the company must be ready to collaborate with others, have proven technological expertise in its industry and a reliable reputation. The number of employees in the state does not affect the possibility of becoming a member of the association . We do not focus on special assistance to companies from the east of Ukraine, that is, the region that was most affected by the war, but if there is a critical situation, it can be resolved at the level of a personal appeal to me or other founders.

Already, 30 companies have joined the Association, which is about two thousand people. Some of them are based in Ukraine, some are based outside its borders, so we can guarantee our customers safety: if for some reason a team physically located in Ukraine cannot work, a team stationed abroad will take over its work. In other words, we diversify the risks of non-fulfillment of projects, since we can attract resources from other companies if necessary.

There is no limit on the number of members of the association.

If we talk about the geography of Ukraine, then the participating companies are mainly from Kiev, Kharkiv, Dnipro. The average size is 75 employees. Most companies have experience working with the foreign market.

What will not be available in the UA Tech Network and what are the terms of participation?

There will be no fee to become a member of the association. UA Tech Network will soon announce collaboration models. This will happen after the first business contracts are agreed upon. Other types of cooperation with Sigma Group companies will also be available, including buying and selling options in synergistic businesses. The association's earnings will be spent on marketing and promoting the UA Tech Network and Ukrainian business in the world.

The idea of creating an association was even before the large-scale invasion. But then there was no urgent need — the industry gradually developed. However, when the war broke out, Studios began to lose customers, and it became clear that they needed to act. At the same time, there are also opportunities for the development of the industry — the Ukrainian brand has become popular in the world. Therefore, we need to make the most of this moment, because IT is an industry that can quickly revive, increase volumes and make a significant contribution to the economy.

DOU also asked other IT communities in Ukraine for comments to get their opinion on the new merger. As soon as they provide comments, we will update the material.