Horizon Capital

🚀 Horizon Capital at IT Arena 2024 IT Arena 2024 kicks off today in Lviv, and the Horizon Capital team is excited to participate in key discussions about the future of Ukraine’s tech market and its impact on global innovation. 🔸 Hanna Shuvalova, Principal at Horizon Capital and member of the Strategic Council at Diia.City United, will join the panel discussion "Fueling Tech Future: Startup Growth and Investment Strategies in Ukraine", moderated by Nataliya Mykolska, Executive Director of Diia.City United. 📅 September 28, 11:00-11:40 🔸 Hanna will also speak at the Business Breakfast "SheTech: Empowering Women and Driving Ukraine’s Victory", focusing on gender equality in tech. She will share Horizon Capital’s insights and achievements in advancing gender equality and social inclusion. 📅 September 29, 10:00-11:00 — Register for the event here: https://lnkd.in/e8BTwuH4 🔸 Denys Sychkov, Principal at Horizon Capital, will join the panel "Rise and Scale: Ukraine’s Next Tech Frontier", where he will discuss opportunities for scaling Ukrainian tech companies and share Horizon Capital’s experience in supporting their growth. 📅 September 28, 12:00-12:45 See you in Lviv! #horizoncapital

🚀 Exciting news from across Horizon Capital’s portfolio companies! 1️⃣ maib has been awarded Best SME Bank in Central and Eastern Europe and Moldova by Global Finance. This recognition highlights Maib's impressive growth and transformation since 2021. With a 102% increase in SME loans and the maib Business digital app launch, the bank is committed to providing innovative solutions for SMEs, including a green loan portfolio to support renewable energy projects. 2️⃣ Intellias has received Bronze at the Corporate Engagement Awards for its UnSEEn Inclusivity Days, a unique initiative raising awareness about disabilities. The inclusiveness audit is already in place across two offices, promoting a more inclusive corporate culture. 3️⃣ Ajax Systems continues to excel, winning in five categories at the Security Today 2024 Awards! Recognized for its cutting-edge security products, Ajax Systems leads in innovation with its TurretCam, NVR, and FireProtect 2 RB. These products improve security and enhance user experience, cementing their presence in the US market. Proud to support companies pushing innovation forward and continuously growing 🌟 #horizoncapital

Can AI and No-Code Unlock New Potential for Your Team? 💡 In a recent interview on Asking for a Trend, Creatio CEO Katherine Kostereva shared key insights on how the no-code revolution reshapes businesses' operations. ◾ The gap is huge, with 500 million apps needing automation and only 25 million developers. However, Katherine sees the solution in empowering non-developers to create apps and automate workflows themselves. Creatio's $200M investment into AI is set to push this even further. "AI will revolutionize the market more than the internet did," she noted, as the company continues its 50% year-over-year growth despite challenging conditions. Want to know more about how AI and no-code can drive your business forward? Check out the full interview for more insights! 👉 http://surl.li/tworng 

The acquisition of Volia and lifecell Ukraine by a consortium led by NJJ HOLDING (“NJJ”), the investment firm owned by French tech and telecom visionary Xavier Niel, together with Horizon Capital and CEO Mikhail Shelemba, was completed today. This is a historic transaction, marking the first significant investment by a new market entrant and major strategic investor since the full-fledged invasion, further supporting the growth and modernization of Ukraine’s telecom infrastructure. Datagroup-Volia is Ukraine’s leading fixed telecom and pay TV provider, and Lifecell is the country’s third-largest mobile operator.   The combined platform will provide mobile connectivity to circa 10 million Ukrainians, while the fixed network will cover over 4 million residences nationwide. Future integration will enable the platform to offer a triple-play service, combining mobile, fixed connectivity, and pay-TV.   The next milestone is signing loan documents and disbursing the $435 million joint financing package provided by the @European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the IFC - International Finance Corporation (IFC). This long-term partnership with EBRD and IFC will enable the launch of a significant investment program, including investments in network, licenses, equipment and expansion of fixed and mobile infrastructure in Ukraine.   Lenna Koszarny, Founding Partner and CEO of Horizon Capital stated: “It is a distinct honor and enormous pleasure to close this historic transaction with Xavier Niel and his world-class team at NJJ. We sought, and succeeded, in attracting a truly visionary strategic investor for Ukraine, who would further develop and expand upon the successful Datagroup-Volia and Lifecell platforms. We look forward to continuing in this exciting journey for many years to come, alongside NJJ as their partner in Ukraine, and to joining forces with our valued investors EBRD and IFC on this deal. We congratulate CEO Mykhaylo Shelemba on his well-deserved, expanded role that will further showcase his strong leadership and solid business acumen. We are confident that this transaction will mark a new era of investments in Ukraine’s tech and infrastructure sectors, further driving resilience and growth.” https://lnkd.in/daFBMudu #horizoncapital #njj #datagroupdvolia

We proudly announce that Creatio, Horizon Capital portfolio company, was named a Gold Stevie ® Award winner at the 21st Annual American Business Awards®! Creatio, a global provider of a no-code platform for automating workflows and CRM with a maximum degree of freedom, has been awarded the Gold Stevie® Award in the Company of the Year, Computer Software, Large category. Judges praised Creatio for its remarkable growth, innovative no-code solutions, and strong customer retention. They highlighted the company's extensive global reach and numerous strategic partnerships among the key factors. The judges also highly appreciated Creatio's ability to capitalize on market trends like enterprise workflow digitization and its near-total adoption of AI-powered technologies. The International Business Awards (IBAs) are the US' leading global business awards program. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. In 2024, competing in various categories, companies of all sizes and industries have submitted over 3,600 nominations. This year, companies from 62 countries and territories worldwide submitted their entries to the IBAs. Congratulations to Creatio's outstanding achievement! #Horizoncapital

Happy Independence Day, Moldova! Today, we honor Moldova's rich history, culture, and resilient spirit. As a company with deep ties to this beautiful country, we proudly support its growth and prosperity. #Horizoncapital

Happy Independence Day, Ukraine! Today, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and unwavering spirit of a country that continues to inspire the world. We are proud to build a brighter future for Ukraine alongside our partners. Here’s to prosperity, innovation, and new achievements for Ukraine! #Horizoncapital

Big news! We are delighted to announce that Horizon Capital’s portfolio company Creatio, a leading vendor of a no-code platform to automate CRM and enterprise workflows with a maximum degree of freedom, has achieved UNICORN status based on the $200 million Series B round closed this month at a valuation of $1.2 billion. We are excited to welcome lead investor Sapphire Ventures, as well as Stepstone Group - truly top-tier global technology funds – who join Volition Capital and Horizon Capital, the Series A investors, as shareholders. Horizon Capital is proud to back Creatio since 2021, sharing Creatio’s vision of disrupting the traditional enterprise software market with its innovative AI-powered no-code platform, becoming the new standard for enterprise automation. Lenna Koszarny, Founding Partner & CEO of Horizon Capital, has highlighted: “Creatio’s team has built a truly stellar, one-of-a-kind business delivering world-class 50% revenue growth YoY year and rapidly increasing its global customer base and partner network. Core to this success is the time-to-value that Creatio provides to its clients due to ongoing platform innovations, including composable architecture and Gen AI-powered Copilot. Creatio’s CEO, Katherine Kostereva is widely-recognized within the tech community, and recently named one of The Top 50 Women Leaders in SaaS of 2023 by The Software Report (TSR), EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 New England, and more. Creatio is also recognized as a leader and strong performer in multiple Low-Code/No-Code and CRM reports by Gartner and Forrester. Its no-code platform has been positioned as the only leader in the recent report, The Forrester Wave™: Low-Code Platforms for Citizen Developers, Q1 2024.” Congratulations Katherine and Creatio on this milestone, we look forward to the exciting journey ahead! More information is available via press-release https://lnkd.in/dFjUTvre

Ukraine’s Telecom Sector Poised to Attract Significant DFI Capital The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the IFC - International Finance Corporation are advancing their joint appraisal to support a landmark deal for Ukraine, led by Xavier Niel’s NJJ Holding (NJJ), Horizon Capital and Datagroup-Volia (DGV). The deal entails the creation of a leading, integrated telecom operator through the merger of Datagroup-Volia, a national fixed telco leader, and Lifecell, the country’s fastest-growing mobile operator. The potential joint financing of up to US$435 million would be used to support the Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and boost investments in network, licenses, and equipment to expand the platform’s fixed and mobile infrastructure in Ukraine, accelerating future growth and helping to bridge the country’s digital divide. Lenna Koszarny, Founding Partner and CEO of Horizon Capital, said: “We are immensely grateful to the EBRD and the IFC, Horizon Capital’s largest investors in multiple funds, for their unwavering support and commitment to Ukraine. The potential debt financing of up to $435 million for this landmark deal is essential to combine these two stellar Ukraine-based telecom players into a platform for expansion, growth, and investment for the benefit of Ukrainian consumers. We look forward to deepening our partnership with EBRD and IFC through this transaction and together, driving transformative growth in the telecom sector.” More information is available via press release https://bit.ly/4c1D6RA #Horizoncapital #EBRD #IFC #investinukraine #telecommunications

Lenna Koszarny, Founding Partner & CEO of Horizon Capital, has participated in the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2024). The event, taking place on the joint initiative of Ukraine and Germany from June 11 to 12 in Berlin, has brought together leaders of governments, international organizations, businesses, and civil society. URC2024 continues the cycle of annual high-level events aimed at developing effective reconstruction strategies for Ukraine. This year's Recovery Conference is held in an EU member state for the first time. As part of the event, Lenna Koszarny participated in the panel discussion "Gender Mainstreaming and Female Leadership: Ensuring Gender-Responsive and Inclusive Recovery for Ukraine." During the discussion, she shared her views on the business community's role in strengthening gender equality and expanding women's rights and opportunities. "In my opinion, we need to demonstrate leadership and provide women with resources. Currently, 56% of new businesses in Ukraine are launched by women. Our task is to provide them with capital. Ukraine has great potential in this regard. Therefore, gender-smart investing in Ukraine is necessary. We need to provide women with resources and opportunities, voice, and encourage their leadership aspirations". Lenna Koszarny also emphasized that Ukraine is already showing achievements in the field of gender equality. A striking example is HCGF IV, which became the first fund in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and one of only about ten funds worldwide to receive the 2X Flagship Fund status. Moreover, it is one of only two funds of this kind founded and led by women. It is a record-breaking fund for Ukraine, with $350 million raised since the onset of the full-fledged invasion. Many thanks to the International Conference on Reconstruction of Ukraine for inviting and organizing the discussion, as well as to the other panelists for participating in this important conversation. #horizoncapital #URC2024