Research Symposium

BIO

Faith Parkinson is a sophomore at Florida State University passionate about fostering intercultural dialogue and conflict resolution. She is majoring in International Affairs and Asian Studies and is currently studying Mandarin. Faith is an active member of the campus community and acts as a Honors Colloquium Leader, the Outreach Chair for the COSSPP Student Leadership Council, and the Chapter Property Director of AOII. Faith is also the student assistant for the Global Citizenship Certificate where she enjoys fostering increased global awareness on campus.

Entrepreneurship during Crisis: Resilience and Recovery in Wartime Ukraine

Abstract

The Ukrainian entrepreneurial ecosystem continues to be significantly and negatively impacted by the war with Russia, resulting in damaged infrastructure, weaker investor interest, a strained mental state, and an overall lack of stability. There is also widespread post-Cold War sentiment that the government is responsible for the economy, and individual entrepreneurial mindsets were rare prior to the Russian invasion. This exploratory study aims to understand the pre-war and current entrepreneurial ecosystem in Ukraine. We use a mixed-method approach consisting of both semi-structured interviews and an open-ended survey, interviewing 21 Ukrainian entrepreneurs. Many of these individuals were still based in Ukraine, though some did relocate out of the country due to the conflict, but continued operating Ukraine-based ventures. These individuals were identified using the Crunchbase database where we randomly sampled those listed as founders or co-founders. In addition to the interviews, given Ukraine being an active conflict zone, 10 additional individuals agreed to be interviewed via a web survey. Preliminary data analysis is scheduled to begin in March 2025.

Keywords: Ukraine, entrepreneur, recovery