This Year’s SheLeads from the Tokarev Foundation and uBoost Come to an End
The season is coming to an end, and the SheLeads educational program has already announced its winners. Each season, hundreds of young women participate in this initiative to turn their ideas into reality. The program guides participants through the journey from idea to product.
The program was launched through a collaboration between uBoost and the Tokarev Foundation, founded by impact investor Serhii Tokarev. This season, more than 300 young women took on the role of founders, and each pursued her own idea and approach.
What Made SheLeads Stand Out: Highlights and Results
Every year, the number of participants in the educational program grows, and this time it reached more than 300. Of these, 220 completed the full course, while 120 were assigned mentors to help bring their dream products to life. According to the jury’s decision, first place was awarded to three projects that are ready to change the world right now:
- Energy Efficiency – a project presented by Sofia Kedria, who worked on it under the mentorship of Oleksandr Marchenko. The goal is to increase the efficiency of solar panels using lensing technology.
- Physical Health – a project presented by Solomiya Andriychuk. The product turns workouts on gym equipment into an engaging game.
- Environment – the ReGrow project, presented by Iryna Terekhova. The project’s goal is to restore damaged soil by planting microseeds. The key product is special packaging made from straw. As it decomposes, it releases the seeds into the soil, helping reduce waste while restoring damaged soil.
Each project addressed a major real-world challenge, and according to Serhii Tokarev, these young innovators represent Ukraine’s future. “SheLeads isn’t a competition. It’s proof. Ukraine will answer the question of who will rebuild the country – and SheLeads is shaping the very cohort of people who will do just that. Not someday. But right now – through a prototype, a pitch, and a first internship,” emphasized Serhii Tokarev.
How SheLeads Is Shaping the Future
Every year, the number of young women joining the educational program grows. This clearly shows that many of these participants will go on to become founders, developers, and innovators. “We see how participants come in with an idea and leave with a product, a team, and their first industry contacts. This is exactly the infrastructure of opportunities we want to create,” concludes Anastasia Deeva, CEO of the Tokarev Foundation.
The program’s impact doesn’t end with the finals, as participants gain valuable experience and make their first meaningful connections in the industry. Many participants go on to apply what they have learned in other programs. This season, for example, seven girls applied to the Technovation Girls competition, and two team projects made it to the quarterfinals.
The Project’s Roots
SheLeads would not have been possible without the fruitful collaboration between uBoost and the Tokarev Foundation. The program was created to provide young women with not only the opportunity but also the necessary resources to build their own product. Each stage is both an experience and a challenge, with experienced mentors and industry experts supporting each participant. The program concludes with projects being evaluated by a panel of judges, as well as internship offers from teams at tech giants. This season’s partners include Sigma Software Labs, Ukrainian Startup Fund, Healthy Mind, and AI HOUSE.
The Tokarev Foundation is an organization dedicated to investing in the development of a successful, sustainable, and technologically advanced Ukraine through innovative projects. The foundation’s founder, Serhii Tokarev, is a Ukrainian impact investor, tech entrepreneur, founder of SET University, and the driving force behind AI HOUSE.
