Over the four years of implementation of the state program “Own Business”, 42,000 Ukrainians have received almost UAH 12 billion in state support for starting and developing their own business. Thanks to the program, more than 60,000 new jobs have been created across the country.
“Own Business” has become one of the key tools for supporting entrepreneurship during a full-scale war. The program helps Ukrainians start their own business, develop existing businesses, create new jobs, and strengthen the economic sustainability of communities.
The project is implemented by the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine in conjunction with the State Employment Service.
According to the results of the 15th wave of the “Own Business” program – applications for which were accepted from July 26 to August 9, 2026 – 345 entrepreneurs would receive almost UAH 118 million for the implementation of their business projects. As a result, 550 new jobs will be created.
Since the beginning of the program, more than 38 thousand entrepreneurs have received grants for a total amount of UAH 10 billion. With their support, 56 thousand new jobs have been created.
Most often, entrepreneurs direct grant funds to business development in the following areas:
– Wholesale and retail trade, vehicle repair – 33%;
– Temporary accommodation and catering – 14%;
– Processing industry – 13%;
– Healthcare and social assistance – 6%;
– Professional, scientific and technical activities – 6%.
The Lviv region leads in the number of program winners – 13%, Kyiv – 8%, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv and Rivne regions – 7% each.
Among grant recipients, 61% are women and 39% are men. The majority of grant recipients are individual entrepreneurs (68%). The most active age group is from 35 to 50 years old – almost 45% among individuals and sole proprietors. The average grant size is UAH 263 thousand.
Individual areas of the program provide an opportunity to support entrepreneurship in regions and areas that are particularly in need of development:
– 4,016 microgrants were provided in front-line regions for a total amount of almost UAH 1.7 billion. Thanks to this, 6,951 jobs will be created;
– 1,113 young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 25 received youth grants;
– 535 participants received support for business development in the creative industries;
– 163 participants invested grant funds in the creation and modernization of spaces for the development of children in the field of preschool education.
A separate direction of “Own Business” is grant support for veterans and their family members.
According to the results of the 15th wave of the veteran direction, 29 winners were identified. They will receive almost UAH 13 million in grant funds, which will allow creating 51 new jobs.
Since the beginning of the implementation of the veteran direction in April 2023, more than 3.5 thousand defenders and their family members have received grant support to create or develop their own business. The total amount of support is almost UAH 2 billion. During this time, more than 5 thousand new jobs have been created.
Most often, veterans and their family members open businesses in the retail trade, services and public catering sectors. In particular, 33% of grantees allocated funds to open a shop or workshop, 15% to a cafe or coffee shop, and another 12% to produce goods.
Among the recipients of veteran grants, 54% are combatants, 45% are family members of combatants or persons with disabilities as a result of war, and 1% are people with disabilities as a result of war.
By gender, 53% of grantees are men, 47% are women. At the same time, 77% of participants directly selected grants of up to UAH 500,000 throughout the entire period of the program.
“Own Business” continues to expand opportunities for Ukrainians who want to start or develop their own business. State support for entrepreneurship helps create jobs, develop the local economy, and strengthen the economic stability of Ukraine.
The implementation of the program was made possible thanks to the cooperation of partners. The operator of grant payments from the very start of the program is Oschadbank, the first bank to join Vlasna Spra. Applications and participation in the program are submitted online through the Diia application with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation. (Economy Ministry)