Startups brace for talent crunch as Ukraine war rages

Israel tech companies have ramped up hiring during pandemic

20220310 Kyiv and Startup

Tech companies with engineers in Ukraine face a new, harsh reality: major delays in product development if Russia's invasion doesn't end soon. (Source photo by Getty Images) 

WATARU SUZUKI and FRANCESCA REGALADO, Nikkei staff writers

TOKYO -- Israel-based startup EverC was in expansion mode as demand for its software, which helps detect illegal goods sold on e-commerce sites, rose last year during the coronavirus pandemic. With fierce competition for talent at home, it followed what has become an increasingly popular playbook among fast-growing startups: assemble a team in Ukraine. 

Today, eight of EverC’s 27 developers and analysts based in Ukraine have evacuated to neighboring Poland. Among those who have remained, some are spending all day in shelters or have moved from Kyiv, where the company’s office is located, to the west of the country. “We have literally just started ramping up Ukraine and were really hoping to expand further and this came,” said Hen Kletter, an executive who led the initiative. “Definitely a shocking situation for us as people but also as a company.” 

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