Success stories

SuomiKids keeps Belarusian babies warm
Belarus
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02/10/2020
The Women in Business Support Programme of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the EU4Business initiative helped one Belarusian entrepreneur increase sales by 80% and raise her brand’s profile. “Nobody believed in us” Irina Serezhonok came up with the idea of ​​selling children's clothing right after she had her firstborn. It turned out that there was almost no high-...
EU project helps Belarusians who lost jobs due to pandemic become eco-farmers
22/09/2020
Coming out of nowhere, the coronavirus pandemic has swept away many jobs in the restaurant, tourism, construction, and international transport businesses. Yet, not everyone who found themselves unemployed was not afraid of change. A project called "Local support for economic development in Belarus" has provided these individuals with the opportunity to learn something new and find themselves a...
“We make 15,000 masks a day, and donate 5% to doctors”. The story of Nelva, a Belarusian clothing brand that’s not afraid of changes
Belarus
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16/06/2020
Today, Nelva has 250 employees, 14 stores and thousands of fans in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Deputy Director Irina Rakhmanova speaks of how the ambitions of a few students grew into a large-scale business. Her speech is filled with such passion and enthusiasm that it immediately becomes clear why this could not have been any other way. 10 years from reselling knitwear to owning a chain of...
Mark Formelle takes to the catwalk of growth
Belarus
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17/11/2019
Supporting the growth of a leading fashion retailer in Belarus Andrey and Svetlana Serikov seem like an ordinary couple, but little do people know that they are actually two of the most influential people in the fashion industry in Belarus . So influential, in fact, that they have a medal for their contribution to the development of the retail sector in the country presented to them by its...
HYPERVSN sees the extraordinary in 3D in Belarus
Belarus
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05/11/2019
With EU support, Belarusian start-up brings holographic images to the mass market Once considered the “Silicon Valley” of the Soviet Union, Belarus ’s technology industry is growing fast and winning worldwide recognition. More than 30,000 young designers and engineers are active on the tech scene in Minsk, a city of about two million. A great example of this flourishing talent is the work of...
Belarus’s Silver Screen is no ordinary cinema
Belarus
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30/09/2019
EBRD and donors support cinema chain’s development Not every cinema in Belarus can boast having authentic American popcorn, Danish snacks, and Finnish candy, but Belarus’s Silver Screen is no ordinary cinema. Silver Screen is a network of cinemas in the country which is reinventing the big screen experience. It launched six years ago when its founders found a niche that could be filled in the...
Aliaksandr Danilau and Uladzislau Kazlousky
Eco-friendly entrepreneurship
Belarus
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27/06/2019
Ecoupack, a Belarusian enterprise near the city of Hrodna, started using a new automated production management system known as ‘Gulf Stream’, thanks to support from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) programme ‘Advice for Small Businesses’. This support, which covered 60% of the total cost of the implementation and was provided within the framework of the EU4Business...
DAK Farm in Belarus received support from the EU
DAK Farm. From Belarusian Goats With Love
Belarus
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03/06/2019
When planning for the future of a business, it is important to rely on qualified marketing research and unbiased specialist opinion. This is what Dzmitry Krylou, the owner of DAK farm, the only breeding goat farm in Belarus, was looking for when he applied to the ‘Advice for Small Businesses’ programme implemented by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Developmen t (EBRD) as part of the...
The Public Private Dialogue (PPD) Network consortium
Moving ahead together
27/03/2019
As an EU-funded project comes to an end, its participants stick together to form an international Consortium. At the end of 2018, the 5 th Eastern Partnership Business Forum was held in Vienna. This annual event was a little different to the norm. In addition to the traditional panels discussing important areas of development, the annual meeting of the working group of an entirely new...
‘Our earning capacity helps us to preserve our independence’ – media player looks to the future with EU4Business support
Belarus
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05/07/2018
Operating a successful media business in a small market is a major challenge, according to Lyudmila Chekina, CEO at TUT.BY , the leading online news portal in Belarus, which employs more than 50 editorial staff and is read by 42.9% of all Belarusian internet users. And in the case of media, success is not just measured on the balance sheet: independent media needs a sustainable business model to...