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Can education save humankind?
We believe that many of humanity's problems today come from poor education.
Good news:
Every crises is an opportunity for an evolution.
from Ukraine to the rest of the world
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job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
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students are paid for the study period from week 2
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leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
To promote life contentment by revolutionising education
SKILLS FOR WORK AND LIFE
We aim to create a free educational tool that focuses on student's personal wellbeing skills first, then equips them with the hard and soft skills needed for their careers.
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job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
Goal: to help people turn crises into life upgrade through education
Our contentment with work and life starts from our relationship with ourselves.
HOW IT WORKS
At regular schools you learn theory, at universities - theory and practice. At Grains you first learn navigating your life and only then: theory, practice, soft skills and get a job.
A course on life navigation before admission
Completion of the course at Grains App is the admission requirement. It is the way to check students’ commitment and open the door to personal development.
Theory and soft skills training in Grains App
Grains App is a learning companion which helps to personalise the educational process and make it accessible anytime.
Hard skills practice at Grains School
Grains school is a physical space located in the tranquil nature, 30 min away from Kyiv city center.
Work with our partners
Students are contractually guaranteed to get a work placement upon the successful completion of studies.-
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job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
Why a hospitality school in the war-zone?
By establishing a blueprint in the war-zone, we will be better prepared for helping other countries with high migration rates.
The Ukrainian hospitality industry is growing 15% YoY
The war stimulates concentration of people in the most protected cities and increases the demand.
The industry severely needs skilled labor
Due to the pandemics, the war and the lack of expertise amongst the Internally Displaced Persons.
73% of Internally Displaced People lost their jobs
They need to find new career paths to provide for themselves and their families.
Hospitality is the most accessible industries worldwide
The knowledge one gets in hospitality is universal and applicable for any other industry.Grains is meant to become the feeder school for the Ukrainian hospitality industry
As we are backed by the key hospitality leaders, we have a power of uniting the whole industry for the collective improvement.
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We want to make Grains available worldwide digitally and physically as a college alternative which teaches people of migrant background skills for navigating life and career
>1 BILLION
people are at threat of being displaced by 2050 due to climate change, conflict and civil unrest.
What
KPIs
How
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Create an MVP and launch it as an admission requirement
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Establish a blueprint and start expanding the course with mental health experts in Ukraine and the EU
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Big vision: a practical course that helps you become your own therapist and turn crises into a life upgrade
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MVP: a course that helps you navigate your life during crisis and answer the “what’s next?” questions
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Working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Integration of Internally Displaced Persons to understand the needs
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Working with the experts of “How are you?”, the biggest mental health program, initiated by the first lady of Ukraine
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Online learning is coupled by in person group meetings
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Test the App MVP on 2 cohorts
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Release the app as a free tool for internally displaced by Q1 2026
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Make the app available in Europe by Q3 2026
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simulation-based learning
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courses theory
-
soft skills training
-
learning personalisation
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Own machine-learning algorithm: Together with data scientists from MI4People NGO, we are developing an algorithm that makes Grains courses always up-to-date, unbiased, personalised and faster to produce.
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Backed by hospitality leaders of the EU & Ukraine
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Backed by the product team of Trade Republic for the app development
-
job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
-
Own physical school: Currently being built on the territory of SHELEST Hotel, where students can get hands-on experience of working in a hotel. Shelest is one of the market shapers of the Ukrainian hotel industry
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2 study rooms, event hall, training kitchen, bomb-shelter, event hall, free transport from/to Kyiv city, inclusivity compliant
Behind Grains
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job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
Madina Katter
Co-Founder, Managing Director Grains
When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Madina quit her job of a venture developer in Berlin to start a non-profit bulletproof vests production for civilians in Ukraine. Since then, she is committed to use her skills for the creation of products that significantly help the wellbeing of othersFounder at Bulletproof Ukraine
Ex-venture developer at Founderslane
Leaders Europe nominee, Obama Foundation (2024)
Forbes 30 Under 30 Germany (2022)
Forbes 30 Under 30 Kazakhstan (2023)
Zeit Campus 30 Under 30 (2023)
100 Women for Diversity (2022) Germany
Elena Mouradian
CEO - Shelest Hotel
Operational Manager - Grains
Elena has fled the war in Georgia and the political repressions in Belarus before she settled in Ukraine. Despite the struggles, she has established the largest hospitality projects in Ukraine, making Shelest the trendsetter of the hospitality industry and the example for other playersCEO of SHELEST hotel
Managing Partner at Shelest Hutir
Managing Partner at Zori Hotel (launch in 2025)
launched 11 restaurants20 years of experience in hospitality
ex-managing partner of a boutique catering company WSET expert-
We are raising €280k in donations
To finance the first year of the school operations. This will enable us to provide free education to 350 students, create a blueprint, and launch the MVP of Grains App
-
job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
We plan to launch additional features as a 360 employee educational product for hospitality businesses in the EU market to finance the operations of Grains School, Grains App and the free education for Displaced People.
The B2C courses will remain free.
As we are already building partner relationships with the leading hospitality institutions in Western Europe and Germany in particular, we believe it will give us an advantage in entering the market-
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job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
We will summon a Supervisory Board, appoint a person responsible for audit and make our financial spendings visible in open source through third party platforms and our own reports.
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job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
As Grains will be registered as an e.V. (eingetragener Verein ) in Berlin, Germany, donations to Grains are tax deductible.
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Visit Grains website
for more
We develop:
What?
-
Big vision: a practical course that helps you become your own therapist and turn crises into a life upgrade
-
MVP: a course that helps you navigate your life during crisis and answer the “what’s next?” questions
How?
-
Working with the Ukrainian Ministry of Integration of Internally Displaced Persons to understand the needs
-
Working with the experts of “How are you?”, the biggest mental health program, initiated by the first lady of Ukraine
-
Online learning is coupled by in person group meetings
KPIs
-
Create an MVP and launch it as an admission requirement
-
Establish a blueprint and start expanding the course with mental health experts in Ukraine and the EU
-
job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
-
What?
-
simulation-based learning
-
courses theory
-
soft skills training
-
learning personalisation
How?
-
Own machine-learning algorithm: Together with data scientists from MI4People NGO, we are developing an algorithm that makes Grains courses always up-to-date, unbiased, personalised and faster to produce.
-
Backed by hospitality leaders of the EU & Ukraine
-
Backed by the product team of Trade Republic for the app development
KPIs
-
Test the App MVP on 2 cohorts
-
Release the app as a free tool for internally displaced by Q1 2026
-
Make the app available in Europe by Q3 2026
-
job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
-
What?
-
job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
How?
-
Own physical school: Currently being built on the territory of SHELEST Hotel, where students can get hands-on experience of working in a hotel. Shelest is one of the market shapers of the Ukrainian hotel industry
-
2 study rooms, event hall, training kitchen, bomb-shelter, event hall, free transport from/to Kyiv city, inclusivity compliant
KPIs
-
Provide free education and jobs to 3500 students over 5 years
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Become the feeder school for the leading hospitality institutions of Ukraine
-
job placements: Grains contractually guaranties job placements at the leading hospitality companies in Ukraine
-
students are paid for the study period from week 2
-
leaders of the Ukrainian hospitality industry as teachers
-
the first non-profit hospitality school that helps displaced persons in Ukraine and worldwide navigate crises through 360 professional education
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