February 22, 2022, Ukraine
Intellias has raised almost UAH 600,000 for the needs of the Ukrainian military. These funds will be transferred to Return Alive Charitable Foundation to purchase quadcopters, which are also called "the eyes of the Ukrainian army."
The donations were initiated by Taras Honchar, graphic designer at Intellias, on February 16. The funds were raised on an internal platform for charitable contributions, called IntelliShare, which was launched last year. Specialists donated smarts — the internal currency at Intellias — which were immediately converted into hryvnias. As a result, the company's employees donated almost UAH 400,000 in less than 3 working days. According to Taras, colleagues reacted very quickly and supported the initiative, because "this is a project that we all need right now." He also acknowledges the company’s proactive position. The Intellias founders joined the fundraising campaign and donated UAH 200,000.
"We stand with Ukraine, and, being a responsible business, we help our country. Intellias cooperates with various volunteer organizations and regularly supports the Ukrainian army. We have already conducted an online training on first aid. We are currently working on the Military leave package, which will provide financial and other support for Intellias specialists who plan to mobilize, ”said Vitaliy Sedler, CEO and co-founder of Intellias.
Intellias chose the Return Alive Foundation not by chance. This is the largest army aid fund in Ukraine. Since 2014, it has been providing all military units in the Joint Forces Operation (JOS) area with thermal imaging cameras and night optics, mobile surveillance systems, drones and other high-precision equipment. The organization helps to train the military, develops analytics in the field of defense, implements projects for sports rehabilitation of veterans, and supports veterans' business initiatives.
The Foundation states that quadcopters are now in high demand within the army, which already has trained crews with pilots. Data from the drones provides valuable information to intelligence and commanders. One quadcopter now costs around UAH 50, 000.
"In 2014, we said, 'The army needs the eyes!' and donated thermal imaging cameras and night-vision devices to the military. In 2022, the army still needs eyes, but of another kind. These are tactical-level drones for squadrons and battalions, which provide detailed reconnaissance at a distance of 5-7 km deep into the front edge of the enemy's defenses. Yes, it is not military equipment, but it is relatively cheap, massive, easy to navigate and able to meet current needs. We would like to thank Intellias for their support of the Ukraine’s defenders! Thanks to you, someone's life has been saved”, said Taras Chmut, director of the Return Alive Foundation, adding that other "eyes" are also important for the army. There is a strong need in ground-based, but already remote, mobile surveillance systems, which are deployed at positions and allow safe observation of the front line without exposing soldiers to sniper or machine-gun fire. Both helicopters and ground mobile complexes are constantly donated by the Foundation's team to all squadrons and battalions in eastern Ukraine.
About Intellias
Intellias is one of the biggest Ukrainian IT companies with more than 2500 specialists on board. The company’s development centers are located in Ukraine (Lviv, Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk), Poland (Kraków) and Serbia (Novi Sad). Intellias has representation in Germany, Israel, USA, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. The company develops complex software solutions and provides professional services, specializing in automotive industry, navigation systems, financial and telecommunication technologies. More than 2 billion people in the world use tech products developed by the Intellias engineers. For many years in a row, Intellias has been recognized as one of the best IT employers according to DOU.ua, the largest IT community in Ukraine. In 2020, the company received the same ranking from Forbes Ukraine, EY and MC.Today. In addition, Intellias has become the Best Cycling Employer of the Year twice.
