Registration has opened for the second cohort of the free SheLeads 2.0 initiative for girls aged 16–22. Investor, founder of the Tokarev Foundation, and IT, made the announcement entrepreneur Sergey Tokarev.
“I believe there is a significant shortage of women in business, leadership, and STEM. That is why we created the free SheLeads accelerator, which aims to support girls in engineering, science, technology, and mathematics. This environment is focused on real growth, not just skills development,” said the founder of the Tokarev Foundation.
The SheLeads 2.0 programme is designed to run for three months. It was created in partnership by the Ukrainian organisation uBoost and the Tokarev Foundation. The programme will launch on 16 February 2026.
Results of the First Cohort
Participants from the first cohort have already achieved strong results. For example, Valeriia Pyliuk, 22, created Teploria, a service for building energy audits. The programme helped her develop a brand identity and win a Huawei competition.
Twenty-year-old Anastasiia Kurmanova developed Spotoria, a mobile app for finding and booking parking spaces. During SheLeads, she received a grant of UAH 60,000 and later won UAH 1 million at a startup pitch event. Spotoria is now launching in the Polish market.
Rita, 19, has gained experience as a graphic designer at the tech company OBRIO. She completed her first internship working on real projects with real deadlines.
What SheLeads 2.0 Offers
The three-month programme is designed for girls aged 16–22 who want to build skills and experience in technology. The accelerator provides an opportunity to develop STEM competencies and launch a startup project.
“SheLeads has expanded significantly and now offers a range of learning tracks, including mentoring, hands-on AI workshops, mental health support, and leadership development. Participants will learn resilience, how to work under uncertainty, and how to develop and implement their own product,” added Sergey Tokarev.
Most of the programme will take place online. The three-day finale will be held in person in Kyiv. The top 20 participants will be selected and will receive:
- Mentoring support
- A grant to launch their own project
- Introductions to potential employers
- An internship with a partner company
How to Apply
The free accelerator is open to girls and young women from all regions of Ukraine.
The organisers are also inviting businesses to get involved: companies can support the programme by offering mentorship, internships, job opportunities, and partnership initiatives.Sergey Tokarev emphasises that SheLeads was created in response to systemic challenges in education and the labour market. The main goal is to ensure that participants not only gain knowledge and experience, but also have a safe environment, experienced mentors, and the opportunity to realise their potential.
