It is not a well-known fact but one of the earliest recorded tattoo businesses can be traced back to 1846, when Martin Hildebrandt established one of the first permanent tattoo shops in New York City.
Nowadays, the global tattoo market size is valued at $2.03 billion (2023) and is projected to grow from $2.22 billion in 2024 to $4.83 billion by 2032.
Pretty impressive numbers, hard for tattoo business owners to pass up on investing elsewhere, wouldn’t you say?
In our neck of the woods, Ukrainian VEAN TATTOO, a tattoo network, with over 160 studios, including locations in Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom, is announcing a curious initiative, a spin off from their current business. According to their data, in 2023, their revenue reached $21M.
The company is launching a new initiative called VEAN Business Group. This project aims to support startups in the service and manufacturing sectors. Entrepreneurs from the EU will have the opportunity to gain knowledge in business management, finance, marketing, IT, and PR, as well as receive a grant of $100,000.
At first glance, these may seem like entirely different projects…
The company’s owner and CEO, Igor Ganzha, shared that this initiative is not significantly different from other startup funds or European accelerators, “except for one crucial feature – VEAN Business Group is supported by a single private organization and is focused on fair and transparent work with entrepreneurs.”
The VEAN Business Group program aims to discover and support new business ideas. It’s a platform for entrepreneurs looking to introduce unique products or services to the market. Our team’s goal is to help startups grow, build momentum, attract investment, and implement innovative solutions.
“Having built my company from the ground up, I understand the challenges businesses face in their early stages,” said Ganzha.
Despite the obvious differences – one company focuses on business acceleration and supporting young entrepreneurs looking to bring their projects to market, while the other provides services in the field of art and tattooing – both projects are centered on supporting those who seek self-expression, professional and personal development.
With a focus on the creative part
Ganzha emphasizes the perks of working with other creatives because of the special attention to the refinement of creative concepts.
“Thanks to close cooperation with our VEAN TATTOO organization, entrepreneurs can develop their ideas in branding and visual art and successfully integrate them into their business strategies, developed from A to Z. Furthermore, we do not limit the number of participants or the application deadlines,” he added.
Their aim would be for founders to go through the entire business management cycle alongside their specialists.
“At VEAN Business Group, we are also building a community of entrepreneurs where participants can find new partners and investors, receive valuable advice from successful business people, and learn about upcoming projects and webinars. We hope this will soon become a large international business community,” explained Ganzha.
Strategic startup selection
The startup selection criteria include factors, such as potential market success of the product or service, the innovation behind the idea, and the competence of the founding team.
Future collaborations between VEAN TATTOO and VEAN Business Group are also possible. “Despite the difference in focus, both projects are part of the same holding structure, which creates opportunities for mutual exchange of experience and resources. For example, participants of VEAN Business Group can collaborate with VEAN TATTOO in areas such as marketing, branding, PR, and IT solutions,” shared Ganzha.
