Ukraine’s defense technology sector has taken a significant leap forward, solidifying its position as a global innovation hub. The Brave1 Defense Tech Valley 2025 summit, the largest defense innovation event in Ukraine’s history, drew over 5,000 participants from 50 countries and secured more than $100 million in investment commitments. This surge of interest underscores Ukraine’s growing influence in shaping modern warfare through technological advancements.
Four companies from Europe and the United States have pledged substantial investments, with several deals already progressing into closed funding rounds. Among the notable commitments, NUNC Capital of the Netherlands allocated €20 million to a venture-building initiative focused on developing new materials to reduce Ukraine’s reliance on foreign supply chains. German-Luxembourg fund Verne Capital pledged up to €25 million ($24 million) for Ukrainian defense, security, and cybersecurity companies. Swedish fund Varangians announced a large-scale investment plan, with the first deal already closed. Additionally, Oedipus Inc. launched as Europe’s first permanent capital vehicle dedicated entirely to defense technologies, with a team experienced in backing Ukrainian autonomous systems.
Ukrainian company Swarmer made headlines with the largest publicly reported investment in the sector’s history, raising $15 million in a Series A round led by US investors from Broadband Capital Investments. “It’s Ukraine that is shaping the modern doctrine of warfare, where technology plays a decisive role,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov. He emphasized that since 2024, Ukrainian defense companies have already attracted $90 million in investment, with the average deal size growing from $300,000 to $1 million.
European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius urged Europe to integrate Ukraine’s defense expertise into its own security framework. “The time has come for Europe to not only support Ukraine, but to learn from Ukraine,” he said. “The question before us is not merely how to create a certain technology; it is how to create an entire ecosystem of defense innovation.” Kubilius cited recent Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace as a stark reminder of Europe’s vulnerabilities and called for European companies to adopt Ukraine’s air defense expertise.
The summit also hosted the largest defense technology exhibition in Ukraine’s history, featuring over 230 Ukrainian and international companies. Displays included missiles, deep-strike systems, interceptor drones, AI-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), aerostats, unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), anti-drone turrets, laser platforms, electronic warfare (EW) systems, and advanced communications. A specialized UGV arena allowed visitors to test over 20 robotic complexes on obstacle courses simulating battle conditions, such as ruined cities, forests, and desert terrain.
The Battle Proven startup competition added another dimension to the event, with Ukrainian innovators pitching to investors, defense companies, and military representatives for a $60,000 prize fund. Clarity won the Trail Blazers category with its AI for identifying enemy equipment. Dwarf Engineering was recognized as a Gamechanger for its first-person view (FPV) drone navigation AI, while Farsight Vision took the Power Players award for aerial imagery processing. A special prize went to Blue Bird for its drone detection and jamming systems.
Nearly 100 speakers addressed the summit, including Hülya Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar Defence, Deputy Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Col. Andrii Lebedenko, Deputy Minister of Defense Yurii Myronenko, Taras Chmut of the Come Back Alive Foundation, Commander of the K-2 unit Kyrylo Veres, and Commander of the 427th Separate Unmanned Systems Regiment Oleh “Khasan” Huit. On the second day, Col. Pavlo “Lazar” Yelizarov of the National Guard’s Lasar’s Group made his first public appearance alongside Captain Roman “Fish,” presenting exclusive combat footage and recounting the destruction of Russian equipment valued at $12 billion.
International participants included Kimberly Kagan, president of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Bram Oostvogel of NUNC Capital, AI leaders James Lithgoe of Shield.ai and Daniel Lay of Helsing, Eveline Buchatskiy of D3, Justin Zeefe of Green Flag, and Pär Lager of Varangians, who outlined investment opportunities. At the event, Gene Keselman of MIT also spoke on dual-use technologies. Ukrainian innovators, including Denys Chumachenko of DeViro, Yaroslav Azhniuk of TheFourthLaw, Iryna Terekh of Fire Point, and Andrii Chulyk of Sine Engineering, also shared their expertise.
Ukraine’s rapid resurgence