The mentoring component of the Unite for Trade program (Ukraine) brought together a diverse mix of participants — SMEs, export-oriented companies, and service providers — in a structured, three-phase journey designed to strengthen Ukraine’s position in global value chains. Held across April and May, the mentoring track offered participants not just knowledge — but a practical toolkit for sustainable growth.
Phase 1: Finding Your Place in the Value Chain
The first phase was designed for export-oriented companies and SMEs looking to better understand and strengthen their role in global value chains. Over the course of three online workshops, participants worked alongside mentor Olga Gurtova to map their current business reality and chart a course toward higher profitability.
The workshops pursued four interconnected goals:
- Deep value chain analysis — companies conducted a thorough examination of their existing supply and production chains, identifying bottlenecks and vulnerabilities that quietly erode competitiveness.
- Margin loss diagnosis — participants learned to pinpoint the specific stages where their business loses margin, and discovered where genuine growth potential is waiting to be unlocked.
- Business model positioning — companies assessed their current operating model — whether OEM, ODM, or OBM — and developed concrete plans to transition toward higher value-added levels that command stronger margins and market positioning.
- 12-month roadmap — each participant walked away with a step-by-step, 12-month action plan tailored to increasing their company’s profitability and strategic resilience.
By the end of Phase 1, companies had moved from general ambition to grounded strategy — with a clear picture of where they stand and a roadmap for where they are going.
Phase 2: The Service Companies Pitch Sessions
The second phase shifted the spotlight to the service companies participating in the program, giving them a dedicated space to present their offerings to fellow participants — SMEs and export-oriented businesses alike.
Across three dedicated pitch sessions, a total of 14 service companies had the opportunity to present themselves directly to the program participants. The format gave service providers a platform to showcase their capabilities in a focused, business-to-business environment, while giving other participants a curated view of the professional support landscape available to them. For many, it was also a chance to discover synergies with companies they had already been working alongside throughout the program.
Phase 3: B2B Meetings — Where Connections Become Opportunities
The third and final phase brought the mentoring track to a dynamic close with a series of individual B2B meetings — a format designed to turn program-wide acquaintances into genuine business relationships.
The mechanics were built around choice: each company participating in the mentoring track — whether an SME, an exporter, or a service provider — could select up to three companies they wanted to meet with one-on-one, while at the same time other companies could request meetings with them.
The result? 109 individual meetings conducted — a remarkable volume of focused, purposeful dialogue.
The outcomes went beyond what numbers alone can capture. For some participants, the meetings opened the door to concrete cooperation prospects — early-stage partnerships and potential deals that may well develop into lasting business ties. For others who didn’t find an immediate match, the meetings still delivered genuine value: useful advice, relevant industry insights, and — perhaps most practically — contacts of companies from Zhytomyr region that could meet their specific needs down the line.
What made Phase 3 especially meaningful was the depth it added to relationships already formed during earlier stages of the program. Even participants who had worked alongside each other in workshops and pitch sessions discovered new dimensions of each other’s businesses through these direct conversations. The B2B meeting format proved that sometimes the most important thing isn’t closing a deal on the spot — it’s building the understanding that makes future collaboration possible.
A Fruitful Journey
Taken together, the three phases of the Unite for Trade mentoring track offered something rare: a complete arc from self-analysis to strategy, from market exposure to peer connection. SMEs, exporters, and service companies alike arrived with questions and left with roadmaps, new partners, and a richer understanding of the business ecosystem around them.