Young People in Ukraine: The RESTART Project to Build the Future

Valter Baldaccini Foundation’s commitment in Ukraine continues, thanks to the solid collaboration that has been built with the Lviv Polytechnic University since the war began four years ago.

Supporting the resilience of young people in Ukraine means investing in the reconstruction of the country. With this goal in mind, the Valter Baldaccini Foundation continues its efforts by actively collaborating with Lviv Polytechnic since the beginning of the war to promote education, social inclusion, and youth entrepreneurship.

RESTART Project: Entrepreneurship and Startups for the Reconstruction of Ukraine

In recent years, the Valter Baldaccini Foundation has supported initiatives in Ukraine dedicated to women living in border areas most affected by bombings, who were forced to flee. These initiatives offered training and opportunities for social reintegration for so called “internally displaced persons”, people forced to leave their homes and jobs who need support to reintegrate and find a new place within another area of the country.

At the end of 2025, these initiatives were joined by the RESTART project—Youth Resilience in Wartime: Entrepreneurship and Startups for the Reconstruction of Ukraine involving 32 students from three scientific and educational institutes of the Polytechnic. The aim of this training course is to help young people develop entrepreneurial skills to find new employment or start their own business.

Awarded Startups: Innovation, Technology, and Social Impact

The training program included a competition among the students. The three best proposals received a small financial award, and the first place winners will participate in a study trip to Italy.

• NextVibe – A New Generation Social Network
  First place was awarded to the team of Danylo Klepar and Eugenio Bighei, two first year students from the Institute of Information Technologies, Automation, and Metrology. The team developed NextVibe, a next generation social network (SocialFi). The project’s key advantage is its integrated AI based photo generation system, enabling users to instantly create unique visual content. The platform aims to make blockchain technologies accessible to everyone, combining communication, creativity, and secure digital asset management in a single application.
   
• TalkMe – Artificial Intelligence for Emotional Well Being
  Second place went to Andriy Bogutsky, a third year student at the Institute of Computer Science and Information Technologies. Andriy presented his project TalkMe, a mobile application powered by artificial intelligence that analyzes emotional states through voice, helping users examine chaotic thoughts and providing psychological recommendations.
   
• Korinnia – A Cultural and Gastronomic Space Against Social Isolation
  Third place was awarded to the team of Iryna Buglakova, Khrystyna Papaylo, and Markiyan Mykytka, third year students from the Institute of Economics and Management. Their startup focuses on creating a cultural and gastronomic space called Korinnia (“Roots” in Italian), an innovative hybrid initiative with a social mission aimed at addressing the problem of social isolation and the “crisis of belonging” among internally displaced persons in Lviv. The project combines two components: a restaurant and a cultural space.

The social and educational initiatives developed together with Lviv Polytechnic look toward the future. Despite Ukraine being a country at war, supporting young generations remains essential, a strategic choice and a concrete signal of hope for a future of peace and development.