BRAVE1

Defense Tech Valley held a series of workshops where, together with leading experts, the participants discussed the main issues for Ukrainian defense technology producers and foreign investors. 🔍 The first workshop focused on the specifics of the Ukrainian defense technology market. The main challenges discussed included public procurement procedures, legal and financial barriers to market entry, intellectual property protection mechanisms, and steps foreign investors can take to open accounts in Ukrainian banks. Participants received practical advice on how to adapt to the legal norms of Ukraine, learned about available financial instruments and ways to protect innovative solutions from copying or illegal use. The speakers were: ▪️ Olha Kryvitchenko (Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation) — about the procurement system ▪️ Mykhailo Lukashenko (Legal AEQUO) — on legal aspects for business ▪️ Taras Chorniy (Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovation) — on the protection of intellectual property ▪️ Olena Levada (The First Ukrainian International Bank) — on financial opportunities for foreigners 💡 The second workshop focused on scaling defense innovations and attracting investment. Ukrainian and international experts reviewed strategies for developing projects on a global scale, shared practical advice on preparing investment proposals, finding suitable investors, and effective methods of entering new markets. Participants learned about specific examples of successful scaling, the nuances of international cooperation, and received recommendations on how to optimize business models to increase the interest of investors and partners. Among the speakers: ▪️ Saveliy Serebrov, Defence Builder ▪️ Dan Hermansen, MyDefence ▪️ Admiral Mike Hewitt, IP3 ▪️ Martin Joesaar, EU Defence Innovation Office ▪️ Oleksandr Stepura, Skyeton We continue to work to support Ukrainian defense innovations and open up new opportunities for developers.

🇩🇰🇺🇦 The Defense Tech Valley cluster Brave1 and CenSec (the Danish Center for Defence, Space & Security) signed a memorandum of understanding. Its goal is to strengthen cooperation in defense and security technologies. The parties will exchange information on activities, share knowledge and experience regarding the development of defense technologies, and invite each other to events of common interest. The memorandum foresees the development of further initiatives in innovative solutions for the defense sector. Before signing the document, the parties had already held several joint events: ▪️ May 2024 — Danish-Ukrainian forum — Danish-Ukrainian Innovation Swarm, dedicated to the exchange of experience and cooperation between Ukraine and Denmark in the defense tech sector ▪️ June 2024 — the first-ever NATO-Ukraine Defense Innovators Forum, organized by NATO, the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit, the Brave1 Cluster, the NATO-Ukraine Council and the Ministry of National Defence of Poland This memorandum is an important step in building a strategic partnership between Ukraine and Denmark, which opens up new opportunities for developing innovations in the defense sector. The partnership between Brave1 and CenSec has the potential to create innovative solutions that will help Ukraine strengthen its defense capabilities in the current geopolitical context.

Defense technology is becoming one of the most attractive areas for global investment New security challenges, the development of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are forcing governments and the private sector to invest billions in innovative solutions. At the panel “Global Investment Trends in Defense Technology” at the Defense Tech Valley Summit, leading foreign experts and investors discussed the main trends shaping the future of the industry. Here are the main messages of the discussion: 💬 Brandon Tseng, Shield AI “The combination of drones with artificial intelligence and autonomy allows you to create a drone army in the truest sense of the word, which does not depend on having one person for each drone. The production of low-cost drones and the field of software, artificial intelligence, and autonomy — these two worlds have to meet, merging with each other, and this is what will open up completely different power structures. And I think you will see the world moving towards this hybrid architecture of the armed forces. The problem is that often countries need a war to mobilize and make this a reality, to make these changes happen.” 💬 Martin Joesaar, EU Defense Innovation Office “We hope that we will be able to engage more Ukrainians, particularly your speed. But if you ask how Ukrainians can be involved right now and how we can integrate this ecosystem, we have 160 ongoing projects. I would like to see all of them find partners from Ukraine next year or this year. The EU needs your help. We need your experts in our projects. We need you to say what is useful on the battlefield today.” 💬 Admiral Mike Hewitt, IP3 “If you want to follow the global trends, many of the major AI developers came to Ukraine long before the war because they saw that this is where the center of intellectual potential for this technology of the future is located. But you can't develop AI without a huge amount of energy. That's why we were in Ukraine before the war because we saw that it was here that global trends could be developed. After the war started, we, like the whole country, refocused on winning the war. So the power, technology, innovations, and resources of this country are aimed at defeating russia. We want to be a part of it. That is why we are creating a fund to invest in the most innovative technologies.” 💬 Dr. Daniel Carew JOIN CAPITAL “Well, we're in a situation now where Ukraine is learning so fast and sacrificing lives to make that happen, and how do we make sure that learning is not lost? I see it in the way that new knowledge is being generated in Ukraine. And I believe that this is my job. We look for technologies that will primarily have an advantage in defense. We try to find the components that we believe are essential. We find commercial applications, and then try to scale up production because I don't think we can wait any longer. And we have to be ready. That's our solution. To be ready.”

🇺🇦🇩🇪 Technologies for victory: Brave1 and German defense manufacturers join forces in innovation The Brave1 cluster held a working meeting with a delegation of representatives of the German defense industry and specialized organizations to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the defense tech sector. The main topics included investing in the Ukrainian defense industry, creating joint companies and research and development (R&D) projects, and testing technologies in real-world combat conditions. 💬 Nataliia Kushnerska, the Brave1 Lead: "Ukraine is developing technologies that combine innovation and practical experience gained on the battlefield. The Brave1 platform already has more than 2,900 solutions from more than 1,300 companies that we help implement at the front. We are doing our best to provide Ukrainian companies with resources and investments, and our goal is to create joint companies and establish international cooperation." Brave1 is also actively working to attract investment. Thanks to established contacts with investors, $25 million has been invested in defense tech this year alone, and this amount is expected to increase to $50 million by the end of the year. This meeting is an important step in strengthening relations between Ukrainian and German companies and in developing defense technologies that are already changing the rules of the game on the battlefield.

Finding solutions to combat enemy electronic warfare is one of the main challenges at the frontline Brave1 held the EW vs FPV Demo Day to find solutions to combat russian electronic warfare. 45 teams took part in the event to test their developments in real-life electronic warfare conditions. The 6-kilometer-long strip simulated real combat conditions: electronic warfare equipment was operating on the way to the "enemy position". The effectiveness of Ukrainian military operations directly depends on the ability to withstand enemy technology. The Demo Day not only promotes the development of new solutions but also provides a practical test of these technologies in real conditions. Not all teams succeeded due to the challenging testing conditions, but it provided valuable technical feedback that will help improve the sustainability of solutions. Based on this, developers can improve their products, making them more effective for use in real-world combat situations. Brave1 helps developers better understand the requirements of the frontline and, accordingly, adapt their solutions to make them more effective for military operations. This affects the effectiveness of combat operations, saves lives, and ensures faster achievement of strategic goals.

Brave1 has given out 363 grants totaling over UAH 360 million for developing Ukrainian defense tech developments. This has helped more than 50% of projects significantly increase the technological readiness of their products. Nataliia Kushnerska, the Brave1 Lead, told Delo.ua more about how Brave1 helps developers attract investment and solve problematic issues. 

Ukraine is already at the epicenter of the global defense innovation industry — foreign investors emphasize The Defense Tech Valley included a panel discussion "Ukrainian Defense Technologies: Investors' Perspective" with the participation of leading foreign investors in Ukrainian defense tech. The main topic of the discussion was the experience of foreign investment partners in the Ukrainian defense tech market. Here are the main messages of the discussion: 💬 Eveline Buchatskiy, D3 "Investing in Ukrainian defense tech is an investment in our future. We see how the Ukrainian defense innovation industry is growing and how unique its experience and solutions are. A modern investor interested in defense tech cannot stand aside — by not working in Ukraine with Ukrainian companies, the world is losing the time needed to prepare itself for new technological challenges." 💬 Ragnar Sass, Darkstar "Today, Ukraine is at the epicenter of the global defense tech industry. The Ukrainian defense innovation industry works 24/7 — you will not find another industry in the world that works so intensively. Ukrainian engineers are creating solutions at a speed unseen since World War II." 💬 Charles Eberly, Arcanum Global "Investors should look at Ukraine's defense innovation sector as an environment of unique opportunities. You can invest with the expectation of economic gain, and at the same time, these investments will be fully consistent with your values of defending freedom and democracy." 💬 Deborah Fairlamb, Green Flag Ventures "Investing in Ukrainian defense tech is not only about developing technology but also about supporting Ukraine's economy in the face of a full-scale invasion. This is the front where victory is no less important than the real battlefield. And we, foreign investors, can contribute to strengthening this front." 💬 Perry Boyle, MITS Capital "The free world is losing the war to autocracies. And it is not ready to fight this war technologically. To change this, we need Ukraine for two reasons: modern technological solutions created by Ukrainian developers and people who know how to use them effectively." 

🔥 Over $50 million in private investments by the end of the year — results of the research by the Kyiv School of Economics and Brave1. During the Defense Tech Valley summit, the Kyiv School of Economics and Brave1 presented the first comprehensive study on the Ukrainian drone market and the domestic defense tech industry as a whole. The report includes a detailed analysis of the industry's development, investment trends, product innovations, and the challenges the sector faces. Here are some key indicators: ◾ $25 million in investments in 2024 — five times more than last year ◾ The average size of seed rounds has increased from $500,000 to $1-3 million The production of UAVs is also rapidly growing. This has been made possible by the opening of the market, simplification of procedures, and a reduction in tax pressure on manufacturers. Similar processes are currently occurring in other defense tech areas, including ground robotic complexes, electronic warfare systems, and AI solutions. You can find more details in the study here: https://lnkd.in/dJK5GG8J Together, we are creating the defense tech industry of the future!

🔥 Open markets and clear rules of the game: how the state creates conditions for investment in defense tech Within the framework of Defense Tech Valley, a panel discussion titled "Defense tech horizons: how Ukraine plows the defense tech valley for investment seeds?" was held, featuring representatives from the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Strategic Industries of Ukraine. The focus of the conversation was on the government's steps to develop the defense tech industry and open markets for private investments. Here are the main points from the speeches of Oleksandr Bornyakov and Anna Gvozdiar: 💬 Alex Bornyakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine for IT Development: "We have already changed legislation for the production of innovative weapons and created conditions that allow for the rapid development of effective defense products. However, for the market to move forward, investment is needed. The summit served as the first major platform that brought together Ukrainian developers with both international and domestic investors. As a result, we have new contacts and investment agreements that could bring over 50 million dollars to the Ukrainian defense tech sector by the end of the year." 💬 Anna Gvozdiar, Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine: "Ukrainian manufacturers possess significant experience and a technological base for the development of a wide range of defense solutions. State and private manufacturers are fostering partnerships, strengthening each other: sharing their expertise, collaboratively developing defense tech solutions, and working together to scale existing solutions. After all, they share a common goal — providing our defenders with everything they need to establish a technological advantage over the enemy."

🔥 Defense Tech Valley: The first investment deals are on the horizon! The Ukrainian defense innovation industry can only be one of the pillars of the country's defense capability if it succeeds as a business. This requires investment and the expertise of partners in developing the business side of defense tech. Therefore, attracting investment in the development of Ukrainian companies has become a top priority for the Defense Tech Valley summit. To achieve this goal, 28 Ukrainian teams presented their solutions to both Ukrainian and foreign investors during the summit. The projects spanned areas such as: ◾ UAVs ◾ AI-guided systems ◾ Unmanned ground vehicles ◾ Smart munitions ◾ Communication tools ◾ Systems for detecting enemy artillery, and more. The teams were seeking funding at the Pre-Seed, Seed, and Round A stages. Preliminary agreements between several developers and investors worth millions of dollars are already known. We expect that, thanks to Defense Tech Valley, private investment in Ukrainian defense tech will exceed $50 million by the end of the year, doubling the current figure. We continue to work on attracting investment in Ukrainian innovations!