Estonian startups apply to Lviv’s IT Arena 2026

IT Arena 2026 drew 3,021 technology professionals, entrepreneurs, investors and international experts to Lviv on September 25–27. Organized by the Lviv IT Cluster under the theme “Leading the Way,” the conference brought representatives of more than 300 companies, over 100 speakers and more than 100 startups from over 40 countries.

Organizers received 189 applications for the startup competition on September 26. Most came from Ukrainian teams, followed by startups registered in Estonia and the United States. Nearly two-thirds of applicants built artificial intelligence into their products. Forty startups reached the semifinals in defense technology, healthcare, robotics, energy, financial technology and cybersecurity.

The prize fund totaled $65,000, with further access to a $12.5 million investment fund, mentorship and investor exposure. Sirocco Energy took first place and $30,000 for wind turbines meant to generate power in relatively weak winds. Zmiyar placed second and won $20,000 for intelligent networked mine systems with remote activation, real-time monitoring and GPS mapping. Versi Bionics finished third and received $10,000 for affordable Ukrainian-made bionic upper-limb prostheses. Rainbow received a special $5,000 prize for an app that uses structured tasks and rewards to help children build independence and healthy habits.

The program kept an international schedule, a startup contest and networking despite Russia’s full-scale invasion. Organizers added security measures and announced exact venues shortly before the event. Five stages covered business, software development, product management, innovation and startup pitching, with two exhibition areas.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi opened the conference in a discussion with Newsmax correspondent Shelby Wilder. “Ukraine is not only at war. Ukraine is at work,” he said, arguing that the country’s image should reflect economic potential as well as wartime destruction. He urged foreign businesses to invest before a ceasefire and pointed to cooperation platforms involving Japan, Germany, Norway and Finland.

Representatives of the European Investment Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Ukraine Phoenix Tech Fund discussed investment. Mark Lennon, founder of Polar Spark and a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer, advised Ukrainian companies entering the U.S. market to offer straightforward products, communicate clearly with customers and partner with established American firms.

Defense technology was a central theme. Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov presented the Army of Robots initiative, aimed at shifting some of the most dangerous battlefield tasks to robotic systems, and called for a new “Manhattan Project” combining Ukrainian expertise, investment and research. A session titled “Future Force: Born in Ukraine” included Volodymyr Horod-nychyi of the 412th Nemesis Unmanned Systems Brigade, Viktoriia Honcharuk of AB3.Tech and officer Vitalii Mamets of the First Separate Assault Regiment named after Dmytro Kotsiubailo.

Former U.S. National Security Agency director and U.S. Cyber Command commander Adm. Michael S. Rogers called Ukraine “an amazing cyber laboratory,” saying its experience with sophisticated cyberthreats during a conventional war holds lessons even for the United States. Artificial intelligence also ran through talks on productivity, public services, employment and technological change. Eric Maroyan of RSM US LLP warned against treating productivity gains as full organizational transformation and said people remain responsible for decisions made with AI. Anna Bulakh of Google Ukraine and Deputy Economy Minister Oleksandr Tsybort discussed government–business cooperation, including the Obrii platform for linking job seekers with work and training.

On September 27 the event moved to smaller venues in central Lviv for more than 30 meetups on investment, international cooperation, mergers and acquisitions, media and startup development. IT Arena 2026 was supported by EU4Innovation East, funded by the European Union, co-financed by the French government and implemented by Expertise France. Principal partners included F-Drones and FirePoint. The next IT Arena is set for Lviv on September 24–26, 2027.