SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online)

What SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online) does

SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online) is a volunteer-driven, non-profit initiative founded on March 1, 2022 by Anna E. Kijas (Tufts University), Quinn Dombrowski (Stanford University), and Sebastian Majstorovic (European University Institute) in direct response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The organization coordinates more than 1,500 international volunteers from over 38 countries via a Slack workspace, organized into specialized teams that operate open-source web archiving tools — primarily Browsertrix Crawler, ArchiveWeb.page, ReplayWeb.page, and the WACZ file format — to capture at-risk Ukrainian cultural heritage websites. To date, SUCHO has web-archived over 5,000 websites totaling more than 50 TB of data, ranging from national archives and museums to 3D virtual tours of churches and children's art centers, with the corpus mirrored across AWS OpenData and multiple European and North American institutions including the University of Edinburgh, University of Toronto, TU Dresden, KIT, University of Basel, and Bibliothèque nationale de France.

The initiative's product surface has expanded beyond emergency web archiving into curation (the SUCHO Gallery and SUCHO Meme Wall for annotated wartime memes), digitization capacity-building (the Memory Savers internship program, which placed 20 students across 22 Ukrainian museums in 2023), and physical equipment donations (power stations, scanners, cameras, laptops delivered to over 70 Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions). SUCHO operates with no fees, no sales motion, and no formal corporate structure; it is funded entirely by donations (via Open Collective and every.org for U.S. tax-deductible giving), emergency grants (ACH, EADH, Europeana Foundation, German Foundation EVZ), philanthropic gifts (Pearl Jam Vitalogy Foundation), and pro bono infrastructure from AWS, DigitalOcean, and Wasabi. Distribution is entirely digital and self-serve: institutional websites are submitted via a Google Form, and the public accesses archives through database.sucho.org, archive.org/details/sucho, gallery.sucho.org, and memes.sucho.org. The initiative has received the 2023 Europa Nostra Heritage Champions Grand Prix (€10,000) and the 2025 Karl Preusker Medal from Bibliothek & Information Deutschland (BID).

Name

SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online)

Legal name

SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online)

Website

https://sucho.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SUCHO is a volunteer-driven non-profit initiative coordinating 1,500+ international volunteers to web-archive Ukrainian cultural heritage websites, donate digitization equipment, and train museum staff during wartime.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Cultural Heritage Preservation Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Records Digitization & Archiving (Legacy Files, Retention Support) (BPAAAKAG), Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Web archiving services
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Digital preservation services
• Open-source web crawling
• Nonprofit digitization programs

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations via Open Collective: SUCHO accepts donations through Open Collective to cover server costs. There is also a dedicated digitization equipment fund. For U.S.-based donors, a separate tax-deductible donation page is available via every.org.
2. Emergency Grants from Academic Organizations: SUCHO has received emergency project grants from the Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH), European Association for Digital Humanities (EADH), and Europeana Foundation. These grants fund project operations and equipment procurement.
3. Equipment Donations and Procurement: SUCHO procures and distributes digitization equipment (scanners, cameras, computers, power stations) to Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions, funded by donations and grants (e.g., Pearl Jam Vitalogy Foundation).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SUCHO is a volunteer-driven initiative that web-archives Ukrainian cultural heritage websites and digitizes at-risk physical collections of museums, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions during wartime. It coordinates over 1,500 international volunteers to capture more than 5,000 websites and 50TB of data using open-source web archiving tools, donates digitization equipment (power stations, scanners, laptops) to 70+ institutions, and runs the Memory Savers internship program to train Ukrainian students in museum digitization. All archived content is made publicly accessible via the SUCHO Database, SUCHO Gallery, SUCHO Meme Wall, Internet Archive, and AWS Open Data Program, with a commitment to digital repatriation to Ukrainian institutions after the war.

Product overview

SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online) is a volunteer-driven initiative comprising multiple interconnected products and programs. The core platform is the Web Archiving Platform, which coordinates over 1,500 international volunteers to web-archive Ukrainian cultural heritage websites, storing data as WACZ files and uploading to Internet Archive. Supporting this, the SUCHO Database provides public metadata access to all archived resources. The Gallery showcases curated digitized content, while the Meme Wall archives wartime memes for historical research. The Memory Savers Program trains Ukrainian students in digitization at partner museums, and the Equipment Program supplies physical digitization tools. All components work toward the goal of preserving Ukrainian digital cultural heritage during wartime for eventual repatriation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SUCHO Gallery: An online gallery curating images from web archives and newly-digitized materials from Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions.
• SUCHO Meme Wall
• SUCHO Database
• Memory Savers

Products and services

• SUCHO Web Archiving Platform Distributed volunteer platform coordinating over 1,500 international volunteers to web-archive websites of Ukrainian cultural institutions (national archives, museums, libraries, churches, theaters, children's art centers) using open-source web archiving tools (Browsertrix Crawler, ArchiveWeb.page). Provides free emergency preservation services to Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions.
• SUCHO Database of Web-Archived Content Public-facing searchable database providing access to metadata about all web-archived Ukrainian cultural heritage resources, including online status, collection timeline, and completeness statistics. Built by Andreas Segerberg.
• SUCHO Gallery Online gallery (gallery.sucho.org) curating images from web archives and newly-digitized materials from Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions. Bilingual Ukrainian and English metadata. Used to raise awareness and funds for digitization equipment.
• SUCHO Meme Wall Interactive online archive (memes.sucho.org) of Ukrainian war memes, preserving born-digital cultural elements from the Russo-Ukrainian war for historical research and teaching. Features complex metadata for filtering and searching by content, language, template, individuals, and countries mentioned.
• Memory Savers Program Internship and training program pairing Ukrainian students with museums and historical/cultural institutions across Ukraine for digital preservation training, digitization workshops, and student mini-digital projects. Includes equipment donations, training materials, and consultations in digitization.
• Digitization Equipment Program Program providing donated power stations (Anker 767 2048Wh and Anker 535 512Wh generators), laptops, scanners, cameras, and other digitization equipment to Ukrainian libraries, archives, and museums, including those in liberated territories and evacuated heritage workers from Mariupol institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50TB of data web-archived from 5,000+ Ukrainian cultural heritage websites
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2022AWS provides cloud infrastructure hosting for SUCHO's web archives, including the primary S3 bucket (sucho-opendata) accessible via AWS OpenData Program. AWS credits and pro bono infrastructure support have been critical to SUCHO's ability to store and distribute 50+ TB of archived data.
• Internet ArchivecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2022Internet Archive provides the Wayback Machine for URL submission and web archiving, hosts the SUCHO collection (archive.org/details/sucho), and its staff (including Mark Graham) have provided technical support and coordination with SUCHO's volunteer efforts.
• Webrecorder / Ilya KreymercoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2022Webrecorder, led by Ilya Kreymer, developed the open-source Browsertrix Crawler, ArchiveWeb.page plugin/app, and ReplayWeb.page tools that form the technical backbone of SUCHO's web archiving workflow.
• WasabicoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2022Wasabi provides hot cloud storage for the SUCHO gallery of Ukrainian cultural heritage (gallery.sucho.org) on a pro bono basis, ensuring the public-facing gallery remains accessible and cost-free for SUCHO.
• DigitalOceancoreTechnology or Integration · 1 March 2022DigitalOcean provides pro bono cloud infrastructure (server hosting) for SUCHO, complementing AWS hosting and enabling geographic distribution of services.
• Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage (ACDH-CH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022ACDH-CH at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) is the home institution of co-founder Sebastian Majstorovic and provides institutional backing, research infrastructure, and staff time for SUCHO coordination.
• Stanford University LibrariescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Stanford University Libraries is the home institution of co-founder Quinn Dombrowski and provides institutional support, research infrastructure, and staff time for SUCHO coordination.
• Tufts UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Tufts University is the home institution of co-founder Anna E. Kijas and provides institutional support, research infrastructure, and staff time for SUCHO coordination.
• UNESCOmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022SUCHO has served as a digitally-oriented partner in UNESCO's discussions about developing a National Digital Library of Ukraine. UNESCO engagement provides international institutional legitimacy and alignment with broader cultural heritage protection efforts.
• Ukrainian Library Association (ULA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022ULA is SUCHO's primary liaison to Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions on the ground. President Oksana Brui has advocated for SUCHO in international forums. ULA coordinates local distribution of equipment donations.
• museum-digital (en.about.museum-digital.org)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022museum-digital offers free open-access software to European and Ukrainian museums. Partnered with SUCHO on the Memory Savers program and digitization workshops, with over 10,000 objects made available online via the platform.
• Centre for Digital History in RivnemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Partnered with SUCHO on the Memory Savers 2023 internship program. Hosted coordination meetings for Ukrainian student interns and museum curators in Rivne, Kyiv, and Lviv.
• Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa (NID / Polish Institute for Cultural Heritage)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Partnered with SUCHO and the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine to facilitate shipment of equipment donations to Ukraine and distribution to requesting institutions.
• National Library of Sweden (Kungl. Biblioteket)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Donated digitization equipment (scanners, cameras, computers) to SUCHO for delivery to Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions. Part of Sweden's international support for Ukrainian cultural heritage preservation.
• Society of Archives and Records Management in Sweden (FAI)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Donated digitization equipment to SUCHO for delivery to Ukrainian cultural heritage institutions as part of Sweden's support for Ukrainian cultural heritage.
• Bavarian State LibrarymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Host institution for coordinator Olena Sharafanenko, who provides metadata and translation support. Bavarian State Library has provided institutional backing and staff time for SUCHO operations.
• NFDI4CultureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022German research data infrastructure initiative for cultural studies. Provides strategic alignment and potential future data stewardship for SUCHO's archived cultural heritage materials.
• Tech to the RescueminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Platform connecting tech volunteers with NGOs. Provides supplementary volunteer matching and technical support coordination for SUCHO's digital preservation work.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Internet Archive: Operator of the Wayback Machine and a host for SUCHO's archived content; both are non-profit web-archive organizations preserving at-risk digital material at global scale.
• Webrecorder: Developer of the Browsertrix, ArchiveWeb.page, and ReplayWeb.page tools that form SUCHO's technical backbone; both work on high-fidelity interactive web archiving for cultural heritage.
• museum-digital: Open-access platform for European/Ukrainian museums that partnered with SUCHO on the Memory Savers program; both deliver free digital-collection tools to Ukrainian cultural institutions.

Broad incumbents

• Europeana Foundation: The European Union's flagship digital cultural heritage platform; SUCHO is a grant recipient and ecosystem partner within Europeana's pan-European digitization agenda.
• Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC): International membership organization advancing digital preservation practice; comparable mission area to SUCHO across libraries, archives, and memory institutions globally.
• UNESCO Memory of the World: UN program for preservation of documentary heritage; SUCHO engages with UNESCO on the National Digital Library of Ukraine and shares a mandate to safeguard heritage at risk.

Others

• Common Crawl Foundation: Non-profit operating large-scale web crawls and open datasets; comparable open-data, open-infrastructure ethos supporting research-grade web content preservation.

Emerging players

• Archivists Without Borders / Archives Without Borders (AWB): International volunteer archivist network responding to heritage emergencies; comparable volunteer-driven, international model for cultural-heritage rescue operations.
• Endangered Archives Programme (British Library / Arcadia): Funded effort to preserve at-risk archival heritage worldwide; comparable mission to SUCHO in safeguarding documentary heritage under threat, though focused on physical materials.

Regional players

• Bavarian State Library (Bayerische Staatsbibliothek): Major German library hosting SUCHO coordinator Olena Sharafanenko and mirroring SUCHO archives; shares both archival mission and digital-preservation technical practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sucho.initiative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sucho

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SUCHO (Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online)