• The professional jury will select three winners who will receive UAH 100,000 for the development of their own businesses.
  • The first-place winner will present products in her own "corner" in one of the two Vsi. Svoi stores on Khreshchatyk.
  • All three winners will present their products at the online platform vsisvoi.ua and will receive mentor sessions  on business skills development.

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September 16th, 2020, Kyiv – Visa and Vsi. Svoi, the platform presenting Ukrainian local brands have launched a new project, an open contest for women entrepreneurs "Her business – WhereYouShopMatters". The organizers of the competition aim to inspire and support those Ukrainian women who have recently started their own business in goods manufacturing, and give them an opportunity to scale their businesses.

Visa and Vsi. Svoi make an open call to women from all over Ukraine, who own micro-, small and medium enterprises and manufacture clothes, shoes, accessories or goods for home and interior.

The contest will also contribute to new names and brands discovering among manufacturers and promote the development of women's entrepreneurship in Ukraine. The project is a part of Visa's global campaign to support small and medium-sized businesses entitled #WhereYouShopMatters. The media partner of the contest is ELLE Ukraine.

The first-place winner will become a resident of Vsi. Svoi and present the products of her brand in one of the two Vsi. Svoi stores on Khreshchatyk street in Kyiv. Also, all three winners will be able to place their products at the online platform vsisvoi.ua.

Each of the three winners will receive a cash prize of UAH 100,000 to grow their businesses and additionally they will have personal mentoring sessions to develop business skills.

ELLE media will hold photo sessions with the winners and share stories about them and their businesses in the print edition of the magazine and elle.ua.

To participate in the contest, a potential participant must apply at nextsvoi.com.ua from September 16 to October 5. All applicants need to fill out an application form, download 3-5 images of their products as well as a short video about their brands.

The selection committee of the contest, which includes representatives of the Vsi. Svoi platform, will form a shortlist of 20 applicants.  The three winners will be selected by the professional jury of the contest, which include:

  • Sonya Zabuga, editor-in-chief of ELLE Ukraine.
  • Khrystyna Karmazina, Head of e-business unit of PrivatBank.
  • Hanna Lukovkina, founder of the platform of Ukrainian brands Vsi. Svoi.
  • Lilia Pustovit, Ukrainian designer, founder of POUSTOVIT brand.
  • Svitlana Chyrva, Visa Country Manager in Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova.

"Support and development of small and medium businesses, as well as the promotion of local brands, are both Visa’s key priorities. Unfortunately, the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have had a negative impact on the activities of this particular business segment, according to our survey. Another important direction for us is a development of women's entrepreneurship. Our team has just completed a two-month series of educational webinars engaging women who want to start their own businesses. And now we are launching a new contest, which literally gives women-entrepreneurs an opportunity to reach a new national level by becoming residents of Vsi. Svoi, winning cash prizes, receiving business mentorship and communication support.

We are glad to join efforts with strong partners in this contest, and the jury includes real women leaders in their fields. Successful development of the country's economy is impossible without a successful development of local manufacturers, so I am calling Ukrainian women to participate in the contest. The bright examples of women's entrepreneurship are always inspiring and deserving of recognition. The impact of the pandemic should not limit their businesses growth, but should help to find opportunities for adaptation, digitalization and progress", – Svitlana Chyrva, Visa Country Manager in Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova stated.

"This is not our first cooperation with Visa, aimed at supporting Ukrainian manufacturers, and I am sincerely glad that different businesses can unite for an important purpose. This is especially clear today when the pandemic has threatened the development of those who are just starting out. "Her business" is a contest for Ukrainian businesswomen who have recently started their activities. I believe in the power of women's entrepreneurship and such an example is our project – Vsi. Svoi. I see how incredibly great this power. Our project unites 2000+ creative businesses, and about 80% of them have been founded by women. We want to support them on their way to "big business" to see even more creative enterprises created by women in Ukraine", – the founder of the project Vsi. Svoi Hanna Lukovkina commented.

Please follow the link to participate in the contest and get more details: nextsvoi.com.ua

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About Visa

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere.  As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, please visit  usa.visa.com/about-visa, rs.Visa.com,  facebook.com/VisaSerbia

Vsi. Svoi – the biggest platform of Ukrainian brands

Vsi. Svoi is a project that brings together over 2,000 local producers. The platform includes a number of markets, parties, three stores, an event space and an online store vsisvoi.ua. Vsi. Svoi is a project that makes you fall in love with Ukrainian.