IT Arena 2022 - Ukrainian Tech Braves the War

I have been to many tech conferences over the years. I have sat in so many startup pitches and talks that are barely masked marketing pitches. I have introduced myself and told people what I do and where I am from so many times that it all becomes something of a blur.

Despite the repetition and occasional tedium, I still enjoy attending these events, especially after the best part of a two-year absence. There’s the opportunity to meet new people, and visit new places, and typically amongst the familiar and tedious talks and pitches, there are shining gems to find. And those moments make it all worthwhile.

This was my third invitation to attend IT Arena in Lviv, Ukraine. But this was the first time, and indeed a first for me overall, that the conference happened during a war and in what was effectively a warzone.

Lviv is far from the front lines in the conflict, and checking with locals and experts, considered relatively safe, but still, despite this being my third visit, so much was different.