Two Ukrainian Startups Named 2025 Technology Pioneers by World Economic Forum
Respeecher and Haiqu join the World Economic Forum’s annual list of 100 groundbreaking startups, a recognition that highlights Ukraine’s wartime innovation and growing influence in deeptech.
KYIV, Ukraine — 1 July 2025
Two startups with Ukrainian roots have been named to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Technology Pioneers list, joining an annual cohort of 100 early-stage companies developing frontier technologies across 28 countries.
Respeecher, based in Kyiv, and Haiqu, a quantum software startup with teams in Lviv and San Francisco, are the only Ukrainian-founded companies recognized this year. They join peers working on spatial AI, green energy, and quantum computing.
Respeecher was founded in 2018 by Oleksandr Serdiuk, Dmytro Bielievtsov, and Grant Reaber. The company develops AI-powered voice cloning tools that rely on human performance rather than simulation. Its technology recreated young Luke Skywalker’s voice for The Mandalorian and James Earl Jones’s voice for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It was also used to posthumously revive the voice of Viktor Vector in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty after the original actor’s death in 2021.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Respeecher has continued to deliver projects to Hollywood clients from bomb shelters, using Starlink and backup generators during missile strikes. The company now operates a licensing platform that allows creators to use synthetic voices ethically, with full consent. Its work has earned six Emmy Awards, a Clio, and three Webby awards. The team has grown to 40 people.
Haiqu was co-founded in 2022 by Mykola Maksymenko, former head of R&D at SoftServe, and Richard Givhan, a Stanford-trained entrepreneur. The company builds optimization software and middleware that enhances the performance of noisy quantum processors—making today’s limited hardware more commercially viable.
Though listed as a U.S. startup by the World Economic Forum, Haiqu maintains a strong operational presence in Lviv and deep Ukrainian investor backing. The company was incubated through the Creative Destruction Lab in Toronto and raised a $4 million pre-seed round in 2023 led by MaC Venture Capital. Investors included Toyota Ventures, SOMA Capital, and Ukrainian firms u.ventures, SID Venture Partners, and Roosh Ventures.
Haiqu was later recognized as one of Europe’s 11 most promising quantum startups. Within the WEF cohort, it stands alongside five other quantum-focused companies: Oxford Ionics, LightSolver, Quobly, Equal1, and eleQtron.
Now in its 25th year, the Technology Pioneers program has previously recognized companies such as Google, PayPal, Dropbox, Palantir, and Spotify. Participants gain access to the Forum’s global technology policy initiatives and attend the Annual Meeting in Davos.
The inclusion of Ukrainian-founded teams in this year’s cohort reflects the growing global recognition of Ukraine’s deeptech capabilities. Despite the war, startups like Respeecher and Haiqu continue to deliver cutting-edge technologies with broad international impact.
