On 16 April 2026, as part of the “Startup – Way to Success-2026” startup school, a mentoring session was held by the “Life Without Limits” startup team, featuring Anastasiia Soroka, a graduate of Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, and Kateryna Hnedina, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Start-up Development, Innovation and Project-Based Learning at Chernihiv Polytechnic National University. The aim of the event was to help participants in the startup school develop a systematic understanding of the nature of soft skills, as well as an awareness of their key role for innovators in the context of an AI-driven digital economy. During the session, the key soft skills necessary for the effective development and implementation of start-up ideas were identified and structured; an analysis of successful start-up case studies was carried out; and the transformation of the role of soft skills in the context of artificial intelligence development was examined.

Particular attention was paid to summarising the team’s practical experience working on the “Life Without Limits” start-up and the development of a range of b exercise aimed at the targeted development of soft skills. This format of the mentoring session ensured a combination of theoretical understanding with practical application and facilitated the formation of an individual development trajectory for the competencies required for effective start-up activity in the context of digitalisation and technological change. The “Startup-Way to Success-2026” startup school at Chernihiv Polytechnic National University is being implemented as part of the “WIN2EDIH” project. It is co-funded by the European Union.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the European Commission. The European Union and the European Commission are not responsible for any use of this information. The WIN2EDIH project has received funding under the “Digital Europe” grant agreement No 101191647.