USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) held the MRPL IT Weekend conference in Mariupol (Donetsk Oblast). The event brought together about 300 representatives of IT companies from eastern Ukraine, Kyiv, and Mykolaiv.
Speakers from international and Ukrainian IT companies discussed the prospects for the development of the IT industry in eastern Ukraine and challenges for the IT business, industry trends, lead generation, team building and corporate culture. They also shared their experience in creating startups and forming ecosystems.
Welcoming the forum participants, Timothy Madigan, DCOP of ERA, spoke about the changes taking place in the Mariupol IT sector today. Thanks to development of the IT ecosystem, the region’s economy is gradually changing from industrial to innovative.
Mariupol Deputy Mayor Serhii Orlov recalled the IT industry in the city five years ago, observing that the IT-sphere in Mariupol becomes stronger every year. Then, executive Director of 1991 Open Data Incubator Yevhenia Klepa reflected on the drivers of the future of IT and women’s leadership in IT, and trends towards 2025 – demand for mobile applications, personalization, security and privacy, new business needs, emerging markets, and no-code startups.
The second day of MRPL IT Weekend took place at Beetroot Academy Mariupol on September 19. Mariupol IT companies talked about themselves, IT development in the city, and invitations to work, study and cooperate.