On December 17, Forbes Ukraine, in partnership with the Usyk Foundation, hosted one of the year’s most high-profile charity events — Entrepreneur of the Year 2025. What began as a gathering of Ukraine’s leading business figures quickly evolved into a powerful platform for tangible change: the charity auction raised an impressive $3.75 million for humanitarian causes and defense efforts.

The evening brought together some of the country’s most influential entrepreneurs, including Gennadiy Butkevych, Artur Mikhno, Viacheslav Klymov, and Volodymyr Poperezhniuk. Two auction lots reached record-breaking prices, each selling for $1 million.

The first — a Ringside Experience with Oleksandr Usyk — was purchased by an anonymous donor. The lot offers exclusive access to the champion’s upcoming fight, including coveted ringside arena privileges. All proceeds will support the Housing for Ukrainians initiative, which provides homes for families who have lost everything due to the war.

The second million-dollar lot was Usyk’s WBC championship belt, acquired by Gennadiy Butkevych, founder of BGV Group Management. The funds will be directed toward the treatment of two-year-old Matvii Nikitiuk, who is battling Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The third lot — a strategic brand integration with Oleksandr Usyk — illustrated how philanthropy can intersect with long-term partnerships. It was purchased by Nova Poshta and its co-founders Viacheslav Klymov and Volodymyr Poperezhniuk. The donors will create a personalized collaboration with Usyk, while the funds will once again support the Housing for Ukrainians program. The initiative’s first phase includes the construction of four residential buildings, providing permanent homes for 64 families from frontline regions.

“This is not about square meters,” said Iryna Rybakova, Director of Strategic Development at the Usyk Foundation. “It’s about restoring dignity, a sense of home, and a future.”

The fourth lot, Star Football, sold for $350,000 and was also purchased by Butkevych. The proceeds will support the 27th Artillery Brigade named after Petro Kalnyshevskyi. The lot offers a rare opportunity to play a futsal match alongside prominent figures from sports, music, and cinema, including Oleksandr Usyk, football legend Andriy Shevchenko, actor Oleksandr Rudynskyi, singer Artem Pivovarov, and Dynamo Kyiv player Volodymyr Brazhko.

“When strong and very different people come together in one space, it creates a powerful sense of unity — something we need now more than ever,” Rudynskyi noted.

The fifth lot — Sviatoslav Vakarchuk’s iconic guitar — sold for $350,000 to Artur Mikhno, co-founder of Work.ua. The proceeds will be used to supply drone equipment to units of the 12th Brigade and the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine’s Azov unit.

“These funds will allow us to purchase UAVs that truly save lives and bring victory closer,” said Sviatoslav Palamar (“Kalyna”), Deputy Commander of the Azov Brigade.

The final lot of the evening, A Day at the Vatican, was acquired by an anonymous donor for $400,000. The experience includes a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and a day at the heart of the Catholic Church. Proceeds will support the Patriarchal Foundation Wise Cause, funding food assistance for frontline communities, hot meals for vulnerable populations, and the development of a Healing Wounds Center providing humanitarian aid, psychological rehabilitation, and spiritual support.

More than a charity event, the evening became a statement — proof that Ukrainian business today stands for responsibility, unity, and an unwavering belief in the future.