Superhumans Announces $16M in Support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation

Lviv, Ukraine, February TK, 2023: The Superhumans Center today announced a total of more than USD $16 million in funding support from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. USD $15.3 million will underwrite all construction and equipment costs for the Superhumans Center in Lviv, and an additional commitment of USD $1 million will cover prosthetics for the center’s very first civilian patients and veterans. Collectively, this funding allows the Superhumans Center to further its mission to provide world-class medical services to Ukrainians in Ukraine. 

Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine created a series of humanitarian crises on many fronts, including a tremendous need to treat war-related injuries. Founded by prominent Ukrainian businessmen Andrey Stavnitser and Philipp Grushko in the summer of 2022, the Superhumans Center is a state-of-the-art clinic that will provide prosthetics, reconstructive surgery, rehabilitation, and PTSD services. Superhumans’ services are free-of-charge for those impacted by the war, thanks to the generosity of private donors. Olena Zelenska, the First lady of Ukraine, is a member of Superhumans Board. 

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation responded to the urgent need in Ukraine by providing humanitarian aid, food security assistance and support to various security and conflict mitigation initiatives. Howard Buffett, the chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, has visited Ukraine six times since the onset of the war and provided over USD $227 million to Ukraine since February 2022. The Foundation’s support to Superhumans stems from the sober realization of the tremendous and growing need for in-country prosthetic services to victims of the war. 

“The sad reality is that Ukraine will need state-of-the-art care in a state-of-the-art facility to meet the needs of veterans and civilians who have suffered the brunt of this conflict now and for years to come,” said Mr. Buffett. “We are proud to partner with Superhumans and its incredibly committed team to fund the construction of the center and provide prosthetics for the first Superhumans to receive this critical care.” 

“It is a blessing for us to get to know Howard and his brilliant team, and to gain their trust,” said Andrey Stavnitser, founder of Superhumans. “It’s fascinating to see how deeply Howard involves himself personally in the investments he is taking part in. This is not something you see every day. He traveled to Rwanda, Bosnia and Sierra Leone at the height of conflict to ensure that his work was impactful. He said that what he saw in Ukraine struck him the most, and I can see that he is invested in our work emotionally. Despite the sad circumstances, I am glad we had a chance to get to know each other and see how Howard’s foundation works.”

The first stage of Superhumans will open in April 2023 and include a prosthetics laboratory, a rehabilitation area and the psychology department. Superhumans built a special pool for rehabilitation activities, the first of its kind in Ukraine. The second stage, a building for surgery and in-patient accommodations, as well as an educational center to train doctors from across Ukraine, will open in the fall of 2023. Access to the best experience and training for Ukrainian doctors is a major part of Superhumans’ mission, which launched virtually until the center is opened. 

After these stages are launched, Superhumans plans to expand to five other regions in Ukraine, to provide access to high quality care throughout the country.

The Superhumans Center is fully accessible to persons with disabilities.