SEAF Announces New Strategic Partnerships and Launch of New Fund to Strengthen Polish and Ukrainian Small Businesses

Washington, D.C. - SEAF and bechtel.org are excited to announce new collaborations with Autodesk Foundation and Caterpillar Foundation to support engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) small business growth in Poland and Ukraine. The pioneering project, SME Green Advancement Initiative (SGAI), will build upon a successful pilot launched in 2024, enabling SMEs and their employees to strengthen and grow their teams through technical training and strengthened management and financial capacity. It will also support the growth of SEAF's $30M Lviv Construction and Recovery Fund (LCRF).

The initiative will enable small businesses to participate in Europe's green transition and Ukrainian reconstruction with industry-leading management expertise, technical capacity, and access to capital, provided seamlessly through an integrated model with support from the Autodesk Foundation, the Caterpillar Foundation, bechtel.org and SEAF.

In addition, SEAF will launch the Lviv Construction and Recovery Fund (LCRF), which will operate alongside SGAI capacity building efforts. The fund will provide working capital to meet the needs of qualifying SGAI-participating companies, increasing their financial resilience and supporting their capacity to hire more talent.

The Ukrainian government's 2022 estimate of a $750 billion reconstruction effort, coupled with Europe's green energy transition - projected in 2022 by Bloomberg to represent a market of more than $5 trillion by 2050 - creates a uniquely significant opportunity to position Ukrainian and Polish SMEs as essential suppliers, service providers, and innovators meeting surging demand. Four out of five SMEs in Europe report it's difficult to hire the skilled talent they need for renewable energy, distributed generation, and grid reconstruction. SGAI and LCRF are building the foundational SME supply chain and workforce required to support Ukraine's recovery and Europe's energy transition, while addressing their widening shortage of reconstruction and renewable-energy technicians. Bechtel and Autodesk's industry and technical expertise will strengthen the global competitiveness and productivity of the small businesses for what is expected to be one of the highest growth sectors of the post-war European economy.

SGAI will continue to support underserved businesses by helping them overcome critical gaps. The Autodesk Foundation will provide digital capabilities and advance project readiness by integrating best in class construction technology and expertise. With additional support from Caterpillar Foundation, the SGAI will enhance its capacity to meet the needs of emerging globally competitive companies, upskill displaced workers, and scale impact across Eastern Poland - and ultimately Ukraine. SGAI will support the development of the LCRF's pipeline and strengthen the small businesses' capacity to absorb capital, while mitigating investment risk.

"SEAF could not be more pleased to welcome the Autodesk Foundation to this first-of-its-kind partnership and to continue our existing partnership with Caterpillar Foundation in 2026," said Paul Sheehan, SEAF's CEO. "We look forward to combining the premier technical expertise afforded by our corporate partners with SEAF's enterprise support and capital to meet the needs of underserved SMEs ready to grow to meet the mounting demand in the Polish and Ukrainian EPC sector. The launch of the Lviv Construction and Recovery Fund will further strengthen the sustainable impact of SGAI, enabling more productive and competitive EPC SMEs to scale with working capital as well."

Tam Nguyen, bechtel.org's President and General Manager, noted "The energy transition depends on a skilled, resilient workforce, and that starts with investing in local small businesses. Through SGAI, we're helping Polish and Ukrainian contractors gain the technical, commercial and digital capabilities they need to participate in Europe's energy build-out and to contribute to Ukraine's long-term reconstruction."

Autodesk Foundation's Workforce Innovation and Investment Lead, Kate Buchanan, said "We're so proud to be core members of such a collaborative investment in workforce development across Poland and Ukraine. As a Design and Make software leader, we hope to offer a unique vantage point for small business leaders and ultimately help them leverage AI-powered digital engineering and construction capabilities to remain competitive. We can't wait to see the EPC workforce continue to grow and diversify to reflect the communities they will serve."

Speaking on the collaboration, Caterpillar Foundation President Asha Varghese said, "The Caterpillar Foundation is pleased to continue its support of SGAI, building on its previous collaboration. Together, we are helping equip individuals with the workforce skills, including STEM, and technical expertise needed to thrive in today's workforce."

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About SEAF

SEAF is a global impact organization with a mission to improve lives and communities through entrepreneurship and small businesses. We are dedicated to the promotion of SMEs in underserved markets, both via investment funds and technical assistance to firms and communities of entrepreneurs. Since 1989, SEAF has made more than 433 investments across 46 funds and vehicles in more than 50 countries globally, managing over $1.3 billion in SME debt and equity, supporting more than 1 million jobs and serving more than 100,000 entrepreneurs.

About bechtel.org

Founded in 2019, bechtel.org serves as the impact infrastructure arm of Bechtel Corporation. Operating as a break-even entity, they partner with non-profit, for-profit, and government entities to execute projects that support market-led growth and create additional value. Bechtel is a leading global engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company. With a legacy dating back to 1898, Bechtel has successfully delivered over 25,000 projects across 160 countries spanning all seven continents.

About Caterpillar Foundation

Since its founding in 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed to helping improve the lives of people around the world. As a company, Caterpillar works alongside its dealers and customers to build the societal infrastructure needed to make the world run. Caterpillar Foundation focuses on the complementary human, natural and basic services infrastructure needed for individuals to thrive and communities to be resilient. Learn more at caterpillar.com/foundation and on LinkedIn.

For more information: Jeri Jensen, [email protected], Tam Nguyen [email protected], Ashley Keyes, [email protected]