Lviv is setting itself apart in the IT sector, drawing talent from within the country and beyond to create a melting pot of technological know-how

IT is a €3 billion industry in Ukraine, and Lviv is at its center. With 250 technological companies now based in the city, its famous squares and cafés are increasingly full of engineers and programmers as the local sector grows at a breathtaking 20 percent a year.

Among the companies present is Intellias, which also has offices in Kiev, Odessa and Berlin as it expands its custom software development operations into the EU. With more than 1,100 in-house engineers, Intellias can be called upon to deliver rapid solutions, with particular expertise in the automotive, fintech and edu-tech segments.

“The IT industry differs from other industries in Ukraine; it is privileged. It’s growing very fast and attracting money from outside the country,” said Michael Puzrakov, the COO, co-founder and chairman of the board at Intellias.

CoreValue Services, another leading company in terms of customized business IT solutions, with expertise in Salesforce, AI, cloud technology, big data and mobile services, has its main development center in Lviv. Deputy CEO Yuriy Adamchuk says CoreValue is investing heavily in areas such as AI to stay at the forefront of technology. “We have delivered more than 300 projects to clients, and we want to build solutions to consolidate that knowledge.”

Lviv IT Cluster is playing a key role in building up this “tech city”, grouping together 90 members with 12,000 workers in what it considers “the best IT destination in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.” Inaugurated in 2014, the Lviv IT Arena conference helped put the city on the global map, and the creation of new university courses attracting technology students from all over Ukraine guarantees an exciting future.