One of the initiators of the meeting was the publication "Ukrainian Week," so the event was moderated by its editor-in-chief Dmytro Karpenko. A regular columnist for "Week" Yuriy Makarov immediately set a deep level of discussion by introducing the concept of "war for identity" into the conversation. Using the example of Donbas, he explained that investments in culture form a certain type of people and suggested that if the culture in that region had been more developed, perhaps we would not have a war there now.

Pavlo Haidai, an entrepreneur and kmbs graduate, emphasized that "All the most interesting things are happening in art right now, and business should consume the meanings born by artists." Another kmbs graduate, Volodymyr Borodyansky — a media manager, former minister of culture, youth, and sports, who was present at the event as a guest, tried to steer the conversation in a more practical direction and raised questions about which horizons to invest in, how much, and whether business can expect a return on its investments, as well as what the role of the state is in this investment.

Answering these questions, Oleksandr Savruk, dean of kmbs, expressed the opinion that Ukraine has not moved far from the approach that was formed during the USSR, when one ministry distributed funds to those cultural representatives it deemed necessary. Now we have the Ukrainian Cultural Fund, which similarly allocates funding to a certain circle of selected cultural figures. However, the funds go to the implementation of projects rather than systemic things, yet "Nothing dismantles the system like projects do", he noted. Instead, a more promising state strategy would be one where funds are directed towards creating opportunities for the development of artists, rather than direct financing.

This assessment of the UCF's activities was not agreed upon by the co-author of the UCF law Iryna Podolyak, who was among the guests at the event. However, Mr. Savruk immediately emphasized that the questions posed in this way are his conscious intellectual provocation, aimed at motivating those present to joint reflections. But, probably, everyone who wanted to express their opinion on the outlined topic agreed that business should indeed invest in culture, as it enhances the competitiveness of the entire society.

"If a businessman is used to creating value, he will add to culture as well," — Oleksandr Savruk