So far away, yet so close to home. Ukrainian tech impacts Baltimore and the entire world. We can all make a difference from wherever we are.
“Our developers in Ukraine are meeting tight deadlines while bombs are being dropped on their families. It is frightening, unfathomable, and remarkable.”
Tracey Halvorsen and Greg Dvorkin, founders of MarTech startup Return, met last week with Ukrainian development firm Xenoss to review beta updates to their upcoming pilot. The teams have continued daily work together, even as Xenoss moves forward with long-existing emergency plans for staff safety and relocation.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the US tech industry is stepping up to support the roughly 200,000 software developers who work remotely for companies in the U.S. and Europe. We encourage our Baltimore colleagues to share efforts to support their Ukrainian teams. Here are a few shared with us this week:
The Ukraine Strong Tech Vendor Coalition is inviting technology vendors to support Ukraine through cash contributions to a curated list of charitable organizations.
Ukrainian-American IT company, KLIK Solutions, with offices in Locust Point and Kyiv, has collected and distributed hundreds of suppliesfrom Baltimore friends and colleagues for their teams and families in Ukraine.
Tech firms with Ukrainian teams are providing financial support for workers and arranging for travel or housing for those fleeing the escalating conflict.
252 of San Francisco-based tech company JustAnswer’s approximately 1,000 employees are based in offices throughout Lviv, Uzhgorod, and Kyiv. The company’s non-Ukrainian employees receive a daily update encouraging donations to the Ukrainian army and volunteer organizations through the business group Lviv IT Cluster. As of Tuesday, the donation page surpassed its $100,000 goal.
Mayor Brandon Scott announced Train Up, a $5M new initiative providing free job training in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology to unemployed and underemployed residents impacted by COVID-19.
Meet 600+ Hopkins students (profiled here) looking for full-time jobs! Hire Hopkins is accepting a limited number of companies to participate in their free hiring + matching event. Apply before April 1!
The UpShot is Baltimore’s Equitech ecosystem news, curated for startups, founders, funders and friends, all working together to build the country’s first Equitech City. ↗️↗️↗️
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