The Most Successful Startups in the World – TOP 10 Startups 

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A startup differs from a regular business in that it has an innovative technology, product, or service. It has high growth potential but also a high level of risk. We have compiled a selection of the most successful startups with Ukrainian roots to show how a good idea, implemented in life, finds a response from consumers and allows generating high profits.

Read our another article: How to Create Passive Income? What Qualifies as Passive Income?

TOP 10 Startups 

Below we will look at the TOP 10 startups with Ukrainian founders. Most of these companies have their largest product development centers located in Ukraine.

1. GitLab – DevOps platform integrating software development, testing, and deployment.
2. Grammarly – Tool for checking grammar, style, and spelling in English texts. 
3. Ajax Systems – Security systems for home and office. 
4. People.ai – Platform for automating and analyzing sales departments’ work. 
5. Restream – Platform for multistreaming to multiple platforms simultaneously. 
6. MacPaw – Software for optimizing and maintaining Mac computers.
7.  Jiji – Online marketplace for buying and selling goods. 
8. Preply – Platform for finding tutors and online learning. 
9. Depositphotos – Platform for selling photos, videos, and vector images. 
10. Jooble – Job search engine aggregating vacancies from different sources.

GitLab Startup – Netherlands (founded in Ukraine)

• Product. DevOps platform integrating software development, testing, and deployment processes. 
• Innovation. One of the first to offer a fully integrated DevOps platform. 
• Impact. Popularity among developers worldwide, with clients including major corporations. 

The unique GitLab startup was founded in 2011 by Dmytro Zaporozhets (who lives and works in Kharkiv) and Dutchman Sytse Sijbrandij. Its core is an innovative product – software tools for creating, managing, and securing applications based on open source. The company employs over 1,300 people worldwide and has no physical office. It sells a package of 10 open-source software tools costing up to $99 per user per month and serves over 15,000 customers, including Siemens, Nvidia, and Goldman Sachs. The company’s valuation is around $6 billion, with an annual revenue of $75 million. The startup has raised $434 million in investments.

Key Aspects of GitLab:

1. Funding and Investments. GitLab has received significant investments from leading venture funds, allowing rapid platform expansion.
2. Global Expansion and Offices. The company supports remote work and has offices in various countries, ensuring global reach.
3. Competition with Other DevOps Platforms. GitLab competes with platforms like GitHub and Bitbucket, offering a more integrated solution.
4. Contribution to Open Source. A significant part of the platform is available as open source, allowing the community to contribute improvements.
5. Usage in Education and Research Projects. GitLab is actively used in universities and research institutions for project management.

Grammarly Startup – Ukraine

• Product. Tool for checking grammar, style, and spelling in English texts.
• Innovation. Use of artificial intelligence to improve text quality.
• Impact. Over 30 million users, used in education and professional activities. 

The Grammarly startup was founded in 2009 by Max Lytvyn, Alex Shevchenko, and Dmytro Lider. They developed a service that helps with writing texts in English. Its core is an artificial intelligence system that analyzes each sentence and text as a whole, providing users with advice to improve sentences in four categories:

• Correctness – grammatical, punctuation, and spelling mistakes.
• Clarity – stylistics and sentence clarity.
• Engagement – vocabulary and variety of words used.
• Tone – politeness, confidence, and formality. 

More than 30 million consumers use Grammarly daily. The company employs over 400 specialists (engineers, computational linguists, and researchers), with more than 200 working in the Kyiv office, where the main developments are carried out. Grammarly has raised $200 million in investments, and its valuation is estimated at $1,000-2,500 million.

Key Aspects of Grammarly:

1. Free and Premium Versions. The free version provides basic text-checking functions, while the premium version offers advanced features like style and tone checking.
2. Use in Academic Writing. Grammarly is widely used by students and scholars to enhance the quality of academic work.
3. Support for Different Writing Styles. The tool adapts to formal, informal, technical, and other writing styles.
4. Integration with Other Platforms. Grammarly integrates easily with MS Word, Google Docs, and other popular text editors.
5. Plans for Development and New Features. The company continually improves its product, adding new features based on user feedback.

Ajax Systems Startup – Ukraine

• Product. Security systems for home and office, including sensors, cameras, and other devices.
• Innovation. High reliability and ease of use, next-generation security systems.
• Impact. Products are exported to over 90 countries worldwide. 

The Ajax Systems startup was founded in 2011 by Oleksandr Konotopsky. It produces unique wireless security systems. The product line comprises 36 devices, and the mobile application is constantly updated. Ajax Systems’ security systems are already used by over 900,000 clients from more than 120 countries. The company has 2 own factories and a development department with 4 divisions. The company employs 2,899 people, including 350 specialists in the development department. Ajax Systems has raised $11 million in investments, and its valuation is kept secret, but experts believe the amount starts at $500 million.

 Key Aspects of Ajax Systems:

1. Technological Innovations. Ajax Systems develops next-generation security systems using advanced technologies.
2. Global Coverage. The company’s products are exported to over 90 countries, confirming their reliability and quality.
3. Ease of Use. Ajax systems are easy to install and configure, making them accessible to a wide range of users.
4. High-Security Level. Ajax systems provide reliable protection against break-ins and intrusions.
5. Partnership Programs. The company actively collaborates with other technology partners to integrate its solutions.

People.ai Startup – USA (founded by a Ukrainian)

• Product. Platform for automating and analyzing sales departments’ work.
• Innovation. Use of artificial intelligence for sales data analysis and process optimization.
• Impact. Improved productivity of sales teams in many large companies. 

The People.ai startup was created by Oleg Rogynskyy in 2016. The company developed a unique product – a self-learning CRM system that helps companies optimize and increase sales. The CRM system automatically collects clean sales data from sales managers’ correspondence and calendars throughout the day, analyzes it, and based on the results, provides relevant recommendations for the next day. Sales managers have a list of recommendations at the start of the working day, allowing them to work effectively and close more deals.

The company has over 200 employees. Its clients include Zoom, LYFT, and other well-known corporations. Oleg Rogynskyy does not disclose the company’s financial indicators. It is known that the People.ai startup has raised $107 million in investments. Based on investment round results, experts assume that the annual revenue from product sales is $10-40 million, and the People.ai startup valuation is $420-500 million.

Key Aspects of People.ai:

1. Process Automation. The platform automates the collection and analysis of sales data, increasing sales departments’ efficiency.
2. Use of Artificial Intelligence. People.ai uses artificial intelligence to analyze large volumes of data and provide recommendations.
3. Integration with CRM Systems. The platform easily integrates with popular CRM systems such as Salesforce and HubSpot.
4. Productivity Improvement. Using People.ai helps sales teams achieve better results by optimizing processes.
5. Flexible Settings. The platform allows customization to specific company needs.

Restream Startup – Ukraine

• Product. The platform for multistreaming allows video streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously.
• Innovation. Ease of use, support for different platforms, and analytics.
• Impact. Widely used by streamers, bloggers, and companies. 

In 2014, Andriy Surzhynskyy and Oleksandr Khuda founded the Restream startup with the idea of multistreaming – simultaneously streaming video to multiple platforms from a single channel. 

The innovative streaming product quickly became popular. The company has 2 million registered users and tens of thousands of paying subscribers from 90 countries. The developers are working to turn their product into an effective marketing tool. The company has 2 offices (in Kyiv and Austin, Texas), with 45 specialists. The Restream startup has raised $55 million in investments, and its valuation is estimated by experts at $220-250 million.

Key Aspects of Restream:

1. Multistreaming. Restream allows video streaming to multiple platforms simultaneously, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch.
2. Analytics and Statistics. The platform provides detailed analytics about viewers, helping streamers improve their broadcasts.
3. Ease of Use. The Restream interface is intuitive, making it accessible even for beginners.
4. Support for various platforms. The platform supports a wide range of streaming services and social networks.
5. Advanced features. Restream offers additional features such as stream recording and integration with other tools.

MacPaw Startup – Ukraine 

• Product. Software for optimizing and maintaining Mac computers, such as CleanMyMac. 
• Innovation. Ease of use, high product efficiency. 
• Impact. Popularity among Mac users worldwide.

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The founder of the MacPaw startup is Oleksandr Kosovan. In 2008, he developed CleanMyMac, an application for cleaning MacBook operations. CleanMyMac has nearly 1 million paid users each month and remains the company’s flagship product, generating about 80% of the profit. In 2016, the company launched Setapp, a Mac app store that offers access to hundreds of apps for a $10 monthly subscription. In 2019, a version of Setapp for teams was launched.

The company employs over 300 people. Kosovan does not attract investor funds. He invested $20 million, earned from CleanMyMac, into the development of the Setapp service. The startup is valued at $200-300 million.

Key Aspects of MacPaw:

1. Performance Optimization. MacPaw programs help improve Mac computer performance by removing unnecessary files and optimizing the system. 
2. Ease of Use. MacPaw software interfaces are intuitive and accessible to users of all levels. 
3. Data Security. The programs ensure a high level of data protection for users. 
4. Regular Updates. The company continuously updates its products, adding new features and improvements. 
5. Wide Range of Products. MacPaw offers various programs for different needs, from system cleaning to file management.

Jiji Startup – Ukraine (founded by Ukrainians, focused on Nigeria)

• Product. Online marketplace for buying and selling goods, focused on the Nigerian market. 
• Innovation. Secure transactions, a user-friendly interface. 
• Impact. One of the largest online marketplaces in Nigeria.

In 2014, Anton Voliansky founded the Jiji startup, which in 5 years became Nigeria’s largest online classifieds board, displacing all competitors. It is a portfolio company of the Ukrainian internet holding Genesis, which targets the African audience in various niches, from classifieds to media. The company is valued at over $100 million, with more than 500 employees.

Key Aspects of Jiji Online: 

1. Marketplace. Jiji is one of the largest online marketplaces in Nigeria, allowing users to buy and sell goods. 
2. Secure Transactions. The platform provides safe conditions for transactions between users. 
3. User-Friendly Interface. Jiji’s interface is simple to use, making the buying and selling process easy and convenient. 
4. Support for Various Product Categories. The platform supports a wide range of categories, from electronics to real estate. 
5. Mobile Apps. Jiji offers mobile apps for convenient access to the platform from any device.

Preply Startup – Ukraine 

• Product. Platform for finding tutors and online learning. 
• Innovation. Personalized learning, ease of use. 
• Impact. More than 140,000 tutors and students from around the world.

The Preply startup was founded in 2012 by Kyrylo Bigai, Dmytro Voloshyn, and Serhiy Lukyanov. They created a platform that allows learning with tutors in about 50 languages. The platform operates successfully in Western Europe and the USA. The student pays for the first lesson, and Preply keeps this money, guaranteeing that if the tutor is not liked, another one can be chosen, or the money will be refunded if no tutor is satisfactory. Tutors offer the first lesson for free. Over 2 million lessons have been conducted on the platform.

The company employs 250 people. The Preply startup has attracted $51.3 million, and its value is $130-200 million.

Key Aspects of Preply:

1. Online Learning. Preply provides the opportunity to find tutors for online lessons in various subjects. 
2. Personalized Learning. The platform allows selecting tutors according to the needs and knowledge level of the students. 
3. Large Tutor Base. Preply has over 140,000 registered tutors from around the world. 
4. Flexible Scheduling. Students can choose a convenient time for their lessons. 
5. Interactive Tools. The platform provides interactive tools to improve the effectiveness of learning.

Depositphotos Startup – Ukraine 

• Product. The platform for selling photos, videos, and vector images. 
• Innovation. Wide selection of content, convenient conditions for authors. 
• Impact. One of the leading stock photo agencies worldwide.

Dmytro Sergeev founded the Depositphotos startup in 2009, which has grown into an international holding with 450 employees and 19 million customers over 14 years. The holding has internal startups: the graphic editor Crello and the photo studio Lightfield. The Depositphotos startup has attracted $8 million and is valued at $90-200 million.

Key Aspects of Depositphotos:

1. Wide Selection of Content. Depositphotos offers millions of photos, videos, and vector images. 
2. Convenient Conditions for Authors. The platform provides beneficial conditions for photographers and designers who want to sell their content. 
3. Global Reach. Depositphotos has customers worldwide, making it one of the leading stock photo agencies. 
4. High-Quality Standards. All images undergo a thorough quality check before being added to the platform. 
5. Various Subscription Plans. Depositphotos offers different subscription plans, allowing customers to choose the best option for their needs.

Jooble Startup – Ukraine 

• Product. The job search engine that aggregates job postings from various sources. 
• Innovation. Wide selection of jobs, user-friendly interface. 
• Impact. One of the largest job search websites in the world.

The Jooble startup was created in 2006 by Roman Prokofiev and Yevgen Sobakarev. It is a job vacancy aggregator. In its first year, 3,000 people used it daily, and now it has 2.5 million daily users. The startup has not attracted external investments, and the founders estimate its value at $110 million. The company employs 580 people.

Key Aspects of Jooble:

1. Job Aggregation. Jooble collects job vacancies from various sources, allowing users to find jobs based on different criteria. 
2. User-Friendly Interface. The platform has a simple and convenient interface for job searching. 
3. Wide Selection of Jobs. Jooble offers job vacancies from various industries and for different qualification levels. 
4. Global Reach. The platform is available in many countries, allowing users to search for jobs abroad. 
5. Job Alerts. Users can subscribe to alerts for new job vacancies that match their criteria.

Conclusions 

When forming the TOP 10, we considered the value of the startup based on the conservative estimate by Forbes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Startups