YEP

Name

YEP

Legal name

YEP! company

Website

https://yepworld.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation and Acceleration Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Startup incubation
• Startup acceleration
• Entrepreneurship education
• Startup mentoring
• University entrepreneurship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Incubation & Acceleration Programs: Programs are provided free of charge to startups. YEP is supported by international development funds and government programs including USAID, Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, and various Ukrainian ministry partnerships. The organization operates as a non-profit entrepreneurial support initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

YEP is a Ukrainian startup incubator and accelerator that runs three free programs: the Entrepreneurial University curriculum (integrated online startup coursework delivered through 96+ Ukrainian universities), the YEP Incubator (a 3-5 week online pre-incubation track with mentor feedback for idea-stage founders), and the YEP Accelerator (an MVP/pre-traction program with individual mentors, grants, and a Demo Day pitch to investors). Programs are offered free of charge to founders and universities, funded by grants from USAID, the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, and Ukrainian government ministries.

Product overview

YEP is an innovation entrepreneurship ecosystem offering three interconnected core programs: YEP University (Підприємницький університет), an online entrepreneurial curriculum integrated into 96+ Ukrainian universities; YEP Incubator (Інкубатор), a pre-MVP startup support program offering online incubation and mentor feedback; and YEP Accelerator (Акселератор), an MVP/pre-revenue program providing individual mentor support, grants, and investor pitch opportunities. The ecosystem is supported by the YEP Alumni Network of 500+ graduated startups and includes flagship events like the YEP Acceleration Demo Day and Student Startup Battle competitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YEP! Moldova: Regional startup incubator and accelerator operation in Moldova, led by Viorica Cerbuska as Founder & CEO

Products and services

• YEP University (Підприємницький університет / Entrepreneurial University) A nationwide online entrepreneurship curriculum integrated into 96+ Ukrainian universities in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ministry of Education and Science, and Ministry of Youth and Sports. Delivered through Moodle LMS with structured modules covering startup ecosystem, customer development, business modeling, and pitch preparation. Reached 20,000+ students with 220+ teachers trained across 29 cities. Free for universities thanks to support from USAID and other partners.
• YEP Incubator (Інкубатор)

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ startups graduated from programs since 2016
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ministry of Digital Transformation of UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry partner in the Entrepreneurial University initiative, supporting integration of startup-focused coursework into Ukrainian universities alongside Ministry of Education.
• Ministry of Education and Science of UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry partner in the Entrepreneurial University initiative, enabling curriculum integration into university educational programs.
• Ministry of Youth and Sports of UkrainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry partner in the Entrepreneurial University initiative supporting youth entrepreneurship development.
• GenesiscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUkrainian product company providing marketing mentorship to YEP acceleration graduates. Part of Genesis StartUp Academy together with Meta. Provides additional opportunities for startups including video content for Startup Istanbul YouTube channel.
• Startup Wise GuysmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaltic-based startup accelerator and investor, partner in YEP ecosystem providing cross-border startup support and mentor network access.
• Lift99majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoworking and startup community operator with Kyiv Hub providing free memberships to YEP acceleration graduates with access to coworking in Ukraine and Estonia.
• Garage48minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstonian startup event organizer and ecosystem partner, part of YEP's partner network for global startup opportunities.
• Startup DayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstonian startup conference organizer where YEP alumni participate with science-based startups.
• Startup IstanbulminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTurkish startup ecosystem platform providing video content opportunities for YEP startups on their YouTube channel (160,000+ readers).
• Cisco UkraineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company partner supporting YEP acceleration program with technical expertise and ecosystem connections.
• University of TartucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstonian university partner in the UnivEntre project focused on teaching entrepreneurship and strengthening university-business collaboration. Conducted joint conferences, webinars, and pre-incubation programs with over 100 teachers trained in 2022 and 1,000+ researchers engaged in 2023.
• UNIT.CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKyiv-based innovation park and startup ecosystem hub, partner in YEP's network providing infrastructure and community access.
• Spyre.GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUkrainian innovation ecosystem company with expertise in startup ecosystem development, represented on YEP's Expert Advisory Board.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global, well-funded accelerator network with mentor-driven 3-month programs and standardized equity-based terms. Relevant broad incumbent benchmark for YEP's accelerator program; provides a comparison reference for program structure, equity terms, and post-program investor syndication scale.
• Y Combinator: The largest global startup accelerator, operating twice-yearly cohort-based programs with standardized seed investment. Comparable as the category-defining benchmark for accelerator methodology, Demo Day format (the direct inspiration for YEP's Demo Days), and alumni network effects YEP aspires to replicate regionally.
• Antler: Global early-stage investor and accelerator with active operations across Europe and CEE. Comparable broad incumbent running structured cohort programs targeting first-time founders and idea-stage teams - directly overlapping with YEP's Incubator target segment, with significantly more capital and follow-on capacity.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator and founder training program operating in 200+ cities with a structured 14-week curriculum. Comparable to YEP's Incubator/University programs in methodology (structured curriculum, mentor-led sessions, idea-to-MVP focus) and target audience (first-time founders), though FI operates with equity participation.

Direct peers

• Lift99: Estonian-origin coworking and founder community network with active Kyiv Hub. Direct partner to YEP (free memberships to YEP accelerator graduates); both serve the same cross-border Estonia-Ukraine founder community with comparable community-led programming and Demo Day-style activation events.
• Startup Wise Guys: Baltic-based B2B startup accelerator and investor. Directly comparable to YEP as both run equity-based acceleration programs targeting early-stage CEE founders, share the same investor network (YEP lists Startup Wise Guys as a strategic partner), and serve overlapping cross-border startup communities in Ukraine, Estonia, and the Baltics.
• Garage48: Estonian-origin startup hackathon and weekend event organizer with active Ukraine/CEE operations. Comparable to YEP in event-driven founder activation, mentorship networks, and a partnership relationship referenced on YEP's site; both target idea-to-MVP founders with structured short-format programming.
• 1991 Accelerator: Ukrainian tech accelerator operating in Kyiv, focused on early-stage startups with mentor and investor support. Direct regional peer competing for the same Ukrainian pre-seed founder pool as YEP's Accelerator, with overlapping investor networks and Demo Day-style graduation events.

Emerging players

• European Innovation Academy (EIA): Europe-based university-linked entrepreneurship program operating intensive summer bootcamps and pre-incubation curricula. Comparable to YEP's Entrepreneurial University initiative in curriculum integration with universities and first-time-founder focus, though EIA targets student founders primarily through short-format programs.

Regional players

• Impact Hub Kyiv: Kyiv-based member of the global Impact Hub network providing coworking, incubation programming, and impact-focused community. Comparable as a Ukrainian ecosystem peer offering incubation-style programming for early-stage social/tech founders; competes for the same pre-seed Kyiv founder community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/yepincubators
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yepaccelerator
• Instagraminstagram.com/yepincubators

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about YEP