KARANDASH — a New Member of Lviv IT Cluster

KARANDASH is a group of Ukrainian animation studios that includes KARANDASH Animation Studio and KARANDASH Digital. Since 2016, the group has successfully implemented various projects: from cinematic and computer games to animated series and feature-length cartoons.

The company’s mission is to help directors and producers realize their creative intent and vision on time and budget.

KARANDASH has established itself as a company providing a full range of services for the production of 3D and 2D animation and the company team is a leading expert in Blender, Maya, and ToonBoom. We focus on animation outsourcing.

In the face of immense challenges, including a global pandemic and a devastating war, KARANDASH has weathered the storm and emerged stronger. Driven by the team’s unwavering resilience and adaptability, the company has achieved a remarkable 150% increase in sales and significantly expanded its workforce.

This success was facilitated, in particular, by obtaining the Trusted Partner Network (TPN) certificate, which is aligned with the results of an assessment of the implementation of an information security management system (ISMS) based on ISO/IEC 2700.

The war in Ukraine is more than an armed conflict. It’s a battle for our nation, culture and identity. In this fight, KARANDASH is using its greatest strength – the creation of captivating Ukrainian animated videos. These animations become powerful instruments of resistance, preserving our culture, language and values.

Much attention is paid to children, the future of our country. They deserve quality content that will shape their values and worldview. That is why the studio actively cooperates with the Department General for Public Diplomacy and Communications of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, holding various events to show its own animated films in Ukrainian embassies around the world.

KARANDASH sees animation as more than just entertainment. It’s a powerful tool for education, positive development and change. Driven by this belief, the team actively expands this area of work in collaboration with Lviv IT Cluster, constantly creating new social projects.

“No wonder the proverb says “we are those around us”. Nowadays, the term “healthy company” is increasingly used in the IT community. This is not just a buzzword, but a clear development strategy based on positive business activity, sustainable finances, social responsibility, and care for employees. At KARANDASH, we actively embrace this philosophy. We work with like-minded partners, sharing best practices and constantly learning from each other. This collaborative approach not only builds trust in the industry but also enables us to define new standards, build effective partnership models, and cultivate a pipeline of highly skilled professionals”, said Dmytro Belinski, CEO of KARANDASH.

“Happy to welcome such a creative team to the largest community of tech companies in Ukraine! We are confident that KARANDASH will bring new ideas and inspiration to our industry. We are grateful for the trust. It is very pleasing when companies with strong values and corporate social responsibility become part of our community. We believe that our collaboration will be fruitful and long-lasting”, added Stepan Veselovskyi, CEO of Lviv IT Cluster.