
Ukrainian Women Share Their Perspective on Empathetic Integration at Tech-Park Kaunas "Demo Day"
28 January 2025
Ukrainian women highlight the need for empathetic integration and discover the challenges they face in establishing businesses in their new home country. How can children’s integration into a new socio-cultural environment be improved? How can language learning be facilitated or can ethnic heritage be introduced through gastronomic experiences? These are some examples of the business solutions developed by the winners of the “BSI_4Women” business development and incubation program, implemented by Tech-Park Kaunas. The program lasted four months and was designed for Ukrainian women who fled to Lithuania due to the war.
Anna Burak, who arrived in Kaunas from Mariupol with her 2.5-year-old child after the invasion, noticed that adaptation challenges affected both of them. Her child began losing previously acquired communication skills, and as she connected with more families in similar situations, it became evident that this issue troubled many mothers.
“Unfortunately, organizing comprehensive support for one’s child in Lithuania is difficult, especially due to the language barrier. Not wanting to waste time or risk my child’s well-being by relying on online advice, I started studying, attending courses and seminars, and now plan to obtain higher education related to children’s adaptation needs in a new environment,” says Anna Burak, the creator of “NeuroSpace,” a multifunctional space concept aimed at enhancing children’s development and psychosocial well-being.
“We are delighted that this pilot business development program has already gained interest from the innovation community and businesses, attracting sponsors such as ‘Aromama,’ ‘Optimistiniai Debesys,’ ‘NewCrush,’ ‘Aconitum,’ ‘Karo healthcare’, ‘Nova Post’ and others who have supported the initiative with incentive prizes or financial vouchers” notes one of the organizers, Ĺ˝ivilÄ— PauĹľaitÄ—, a representative of the Interreg Baltic Sea Region program “BSI_4Women” in Lithuania.
During the event at Tech-Park Kaunas, Anna Burak’s idea was recognized with an invitation to present at the international “Carpathian Startup Fest” in Poland and an incentive financial voucher. Other winners included Oksana Krushelnytska, who is developing a commerce platform, and Olena Grytsenko and Olha Aheieva, who created a platform for ethnocultural gastronomic experiences.
“My history in Lithuania is both very interesting and difficult. I have tried different fields and professional roles to make a living for myself and my daughter. “We started ETNIKA because of a lack of quality leisure time. We wanted to make a significant qualitative contribution to the dissemination of the gastronomic culture of our countries”, says photographer Olena Grytsenko.
The jury evaluating the entrepreneurial ideas consisted of representatives from the fields of entrepreneurship, the Lithuanian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, Kaunas Client Service Department of the Employment Service in Lithuania, SMK University of Applied Sciences Kaunas Branch, Kaunas University of Technology’s Faculty of Economics and Business, and the Innovation Agency’s coworking space “SpieÄŤius” in Kaunas.
Among the event attendees was Eskedar Tilahun, Lithuania’s first refugee and a coffee expert and activist. Originally from Ethiopia, she left her homeland, crossed the Sahara Desert in 2006, and after an 11-month journey, arrived in Lithuania, where she later obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in international business management and founded her cafĂ©, “Eskedar Coffee.”
During the event, Eskedar shared her journey and key insights into business development in Lithuania. While setting up a business is relatively straightforward, fluency in the Lithuanian language is a crucial success factor in the service sector. She also emphasized the importance of networking.
“Seek guidance from mentors so you have someone to turn to when facing obstacles in your business journey. The guidance mentors provide enables you to make riskier decisions and grow more rapidly,” E. Tilahun advised.
Mentors from the Ukrainian diaspora supported the journey of fostering women’s entrepreneurship. “I am proud of our Ukrainian women, their resilience, talent, and ability to find opportunities even in challenging conditions. In moments like these, I know I must stand by them, support them, share my experiences, and help them avoid the mistakes I made myself,” said one of the program’s mentors, Dr. Galina Mishenina, an associate professor at KlaipÄ—da University.
Last summer, when Tech-Park Kaunas announced applications for the Interreg Baltic Sea Region “BSI_4Women” business development and incubation program, nearly 100 women applied. “This pilot program is tailored for women who do not yet own a business or have a business license in Lithuania. In October, 22 participants from Kaunas, Alytus, PanevÄ—Ĺľys, and Vilnius embarked on their entrepreneurial journey. I hope the example set by the program’s finalists will inspire other women to take the leap into entrepreneurship and strengthen the startup community,” said Vaiva KelmelytÄ—, the director of operations at Tech-Park Kaunas.
The organisers stress that the women gained new knowledge and confidence in their ideas. According to Paulius Nezabitauskas, Director of Tech-Park Kaunas, “Creating a business is a challenge, and in another country, it is even greater. Today, many Ukrainian families, especially women, are moving or setting up new businesses in Lithuania to make a living, settle down or help relatives in Ukraine who have been affected by war. I am glad that I was able to provide practical knowledge on entrepreneurship. Presenting business ideas allows the participants not only to hear valuable feedback from experts but also to make a realistic assessment of market needs. This direct contact with the audience helps to improve products and make strategically sound decisions.”
The “BSI_4Women” business development and incubation program is co-financed by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region program “BSI_4Women” project.




