Melville Sikorsky
Challenge Accelerator

  • Lviv · 30 April 2026
View Investment Opportunities
Apply as Participant
View Investment Opportunities
Apply as Participant
View Investment Opportunities
Apply as Participant
View Investment Opportunities
Apply as Participant

How MSCA Works

The Accelerator operates under UK jurisdiction, bridging the Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine ecosystem with international investors while supporting early- and growth-stage teams through capital access, strategic guidance, and cross-border collaboration.

Investment Areas
0
Selected Teams
0
Applications
0 +

Focus Areas

Defense
and Security

Technologies strengthening national resilience, from advanced defence systems to cybersecurity and intelligence infrastructure, focused on enhancing protection, situational awareness, and strategic capability in complex environments.

Biomedical Engineering
and Healthcare

Technologies strengthening national resilience, from advanced defence systems to cybersecurity and intelligence infrastructure, focused on enhancing protection, situational awareness, and strategic capability in complex environments.

Renewable Energy
and Energy Security

Technologies strengthening national resilience, from advanced defence systems to cybersecurity and intelligence infrastructure, focused on enhancing protection, situational awareness, and strategic capability in complex environments.

Inna Maliukova

Head of the All-Ukrainian Innovation Ecosystem 
Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine

Inna Maliukova

Head of the All-Ukrainian 
Innovation Ecosystem Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine

Principles

  • Network of Innovators

Supporting engineers, researchers, and founders building next-generation technologies.

  • Resilient Innovation

Advancing technologies that strengthen resilience, sustainability, and long-term value creation.

  • Engineering Excellence

Driving rigorous development, experimentation, and scalable technology growth.

  • Platform to Build

Providing an environment where teams can develop, test, and scale new technologies.

Team & Advisors

A cross-border team of operators, investors, and ecosystem leaders spanning Ukraine,
the UK, and Europe, with experience across innovation, capital, and technology development, supporting founders in building scalable, real-world solutions.

Inna Maliukova

Program Director, Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine
Leads the development of Ukraine’s innovation ecosystem and connects research, startups, and institutional partners.

Volodymyr Rieznik

Strategic Advisor
Advises on program structure, partnerships, and cross-border collaboration across innovation and investment networks.

Michael Saggs

Commercial and Growth Advisor
Supports go-to-market strategy, positioning, and commercial scaling of technology ventures.

Michael Gollits

Investment and Financial Advisor
Provides financial structuring and investment expertise to support capital readiness and long-term growth.

Serhii Serhiienko

Program Operations Lead
Oversees program execution, coordinating partners, teams, and delivery across the accelerator.

Mariya Rieznik

Head of Operations and Delivery
Leads program delivery, overseeing timelines, coordination, and operational performance.

Founding Institutions

Connecting innovation and capital across borders.

A Global Platform
for Ukrainian Innovation

Advancing Ukrainian innovation through science,
engineering, and commercialization.

Advancing Ukrainian innovation through science, engineering, and commercialization.

Connecting Innovation
with Global Capital

Structuring access to global capital
and investment execution.

Michael Gollits

Head of the All-Ukrainian Innovation Ecosystem 
Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine

Michael Gollits

Head of the All-Ukrainian 
Innovation Ecosystem Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine

Latest Insights

What Makes a Technology Investable? The MSCA Approach

Exploring the criteria behind MSCA’s evaluation process and how innovation is assessed through both scientific depth and commercial potential.
Read more

From Research to Market: How MSCA Prepares Startups for Investment

An overview of the MSCA acceleration process, from early-stage validation to investor readiness, and how technologies are structured to meet global market expectations.
Read more

Inside MSCA: Building a Global Pipeline for Deep-Tech Innovation

A conversation with the organisers of the Melville Sikorsky Challenge Accelerator on how Ukrainian innovation connects with international capital, how projects are selected, and what it takes to scale technologies into investable companies.
Read more
  • Stay connected with the MSCA innovation community.

Receive updates on technology initiatives, partnerships, startup development, and upcoming programmes.

Newsletter

Reach out