According to BLUE SHIELD (the “red cross for culture”), destroying a country’s cultural heritage is the fastest way to erase its national identity.

And no matter how many sandbags and protective covers we wrap them in, Ukraine’s cultural heritage is at high risk of destruction.

So how do we make sure that they aren’t lost forever?

By making a digital backup in the cloud — where no bombs can reach.

For the first time in history, UNESCO gave every citizen the power to create high-definition 3D models with just their phones.

Using real-time smartphone camera and GPS data to let everyone in Ukraine capture any place or monument in a matter of MINUTES instead of manually packaging and transporting artworks.

We saved the data as blueprints in an online archive to be preserved forever. So if they’re ever destroyed, Ukraine's cultural treasures can be rebuilt down to the last detail.

We partnered with 3D startup POLYCAM to customize and deploy their photogrammetry technology for Backup Ukraine — turning a tool created for home improvement and animation workflows into a cultural preservation tool in wartime.

It uses machine learning to convert phones' real-time camera, LiDAR and location data to high-definition 3D digital blueprints in a secure, cloud-based archive — at a level that used to be reserved for film studios and professionals with expensive equipment.

We partnered with the Ukrainian MINISTRY OF CULTURE to coordinate volunteers. Helped local NGOs secure funding for local captures.

Worked closely with museum experts and Blue Shield to save data at museum-level standards, committing cold storage for 5 full years after the war and letting partners export to 10+ 3D formats.

With 170+ articles, 2.500+ shares and 325.000 views, we spread the word and turned every Ukrainian citizen into a guardian of their national heritage.

With 2.246 weekly downloads and a 44% growth in heritage scanned each week, Ukraine’s 26.800 monuments are on pace to be scanned by SEPTEMBER at the current growth rate.