Memorandum of cooperation signed as part of project to support women's entrepreneurship in the hospitality sector: Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture
The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, Glovo Ukraine and the Projector Foundation NGO have signed a memorandum of cooperation to create educational opportunities and promote the development of women's entrepreneurship in the regions.
The partnership is being implemented as part of the Iskra. Entrepreneurial Programme for Women project, initiated by the Projector Foundation in partnership with Glovo. The programme is aimed to support women who want to open or develop their cafe, bakery or restaurant, with a particular focus on female entrepreneurs from Ukraine's regions.
"Supporting women's entrepreneurship in the regions is a direct contribution to employment, small business development and economic sustainability of communities. Through training, mentoring and access to resources, we help women start or scale up their businesses in HoReCa, create jobs and work legally. This format of partnership between the state, business and the public sector is in line with the priorities of the Employment Strategy until 2030 — to expand participation in the labour market, support self-employment and entrepreneurship, and reduce barriers to economic activity," said Daria Marchak, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine.
"Ukraine's new economy needs more women — in different fields, at different levels, and with real opportunities for development. That is why Glovo, together with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine and the Projector Foundation, is launching this project in the HoReCa sector — an industry we have a deep understanding of and that we can be most useful in. We are deliberately starting with practical tools: education, mentoring, and access to resources for launching and scaling a business. For us, this is a contribution to the future of the country, because the more women become successful entrepreneurs, the faster and more sustainable Ukraine's economic recovery will be," said Marina Pavliuk, CEO of Glovo in Ukraine.
The programme combines training, mentoring support, practical formats (Pitch Day for presenting project ideas and a Food Tour to Kyiv) and access to financing for developing one's own business. Its goal is to empower women economically and create conditions for the emergence of new small businesses in the HoReCa (hotels, restaurants, cafes) sector. The announcement and start of registration for the educational programme will take place in early February 2026.
"This project is a logical continuation of more than 3.5 years of our systematic work to empower women through education, entrepreneurship and mentoring programmes. For us, this is the first unique experience of partnership with a focus on a clearly defined target audience and the HoReCa industry. The project has two key objectives: on the one hand, to inspire women who have long dreamed of opening their own establishment, to show that it is possible and worth trying. On the other hand, to provide practical knowledge and a sense of support to those who are ready to take the first step," shared Tetiana Fichuk, CEO of Projector Foundation.
The initiative is in line with the Employment Strategy until 2030, the National Economic Strategy until 2030, and the Strategy for the Introduction of Gender Equality, promoting the development of small and medium-sized businesses and reducing the gender gap in entrepreneurship.
The signing of the memorandum consolidates the long-term cooperation between the parties and demonstrates an effective model for combining efforts to develop women's entrepreneurial opportunities and economic growth in Ukraine.
Background information
Glovo is a technology platform that allows users to purchase and deliver food from restaurants, groceries from shops, and medicines from pharmacies within the city. Founded in Barcelona, the company now operates in more than 1,800 cities in 22 countries in Europe, Central Asia, and Africa. Every month, more than 5 million active users worldwide use the Glovo platform, orders are delivered by more than 120,000 couriers, and the number of associated partners reaches 150,000. Glovo began operating in Ukraine in October 2018 and is currently represented in 40 cities.
Projector Foundation is a third-wave foundation that develops Ukraine's creative and innovative potential through free education. The foundation works in the following areas: education for women, veteran programmes, entrepreneurship and creative industries, as well as reforming vocational education.