Contera.ai Becomes First Ukrainian Startup in Techstars Tokyo Accelerator
The Kyiv-founded marketing automation startup has joined Techstars Tokyo’s 2025 class, securing $120,000 in funding as it builds on early traction and prepares for global growth.
KYIV, Ukraine — 21 August 2025
Contera.ai, a Ukrainian-founded SaaS platform that automates e-commerce marketing, has been selected for the Techstars Tokyo Accelerator 2025 and secured $120,000 in funding. The startup is the first from Ukraine to join the programme, which is supported by JETRO, Mitsui Fudosan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Founder and CEO Emin Aliekpierov announced the news on LinkedIn, calling it a “Big milestone for Contera.ai.” He wrote:
“Excited to announce that right now we are working on Contera under the support of Techstars Tokyo Accelerator 2025 in Japan — as the first Ukrainian startup ever selected for this programme. This year’s program had a record number of applications from 120+ countries — the most competitive in Techstars’ history. For the next three months, we’ll take Contera another step forward in our mission: making the analysis and launch of marketing campaigns easy, affordable, and effective. So that businesses can market better, sell more, and spend less.”
Co-founder Viktor Levchenko echoed the sentiment: “It’s a genuine honor to be selected for Techstars Tokyo this year — a program backed by JETRO and Mitsui Fudosan and the first Techstars accelerator in Asia.” He described the programme as “a vibrant, mentorship-driven journey, surrounded by visionary founders and world-class support.”
Founded in 2024 by Aliekpierov, Levchenko, and VP of Design Vitaliy Alekperov, Contera.ai aims to simplify marketing for small businesses, agencies, and enterprise teams. The platform analyzes campaign data, product performance, and competitor activity to generate ads and optimize SEO, reducing routine tasks by up to 60 percent.
Early experiments included embedding the tool into Google Sheets, which allowed the team to quickly test functionality and collect user feedback. According to the founders, this stage produced more than 8,000 ads and insights from dozens of marketing teams — shaping the design of Contera 3.0, its latest release. The company now serves around 20 paying customers, with subscriptions starting at $49 per month and custom terms for enterprise clients.
The Techstars package provides $120,000 in funding — $100,000 through a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) and $20,000 in exchange for equity. The accelerator also takes a 5 percent ownership stake in participating startups, alongside providing access to mentors and investors. Demo Day for the Tokyo 2025 class is scheduled for November 11.
Contera previously won the YEP Accelerator Demo Day in February 2025, securing a $25,000 grant in partnership with u.ventures. That early support, combined with the founders’ own investment of about $15,000, helped finance product development before the Techstars milestone.
Techstars, founded in 2006, is one of the world’s most active pre-seed and seed-stage investors, with 22 unicorns among its alumni. The Tokyo programme, launched in 2024, is the network’s first accelerator in Asia. This year’s class includes 12 startups across AI, robotics, digital infrastructure, and sustainability.
For Aliekperov, the mission remains straightforward: making marketing more accessible. “So that businesses can market better, sell more, and spend less,” he said.
