📋 Tender Overview
More than 1,300 participants, including more than 100 investors from around the world, 650 Ukrainian and international developers from more than 250 teams — on October 3-4, the first international Defense Tech Valley summit took place in Kyiv, which opened new horizons for investments in defense innovations of Ukraine.
The summit provided a unique opportunity for representatives of state departments, the Security and Defense Forces, as well as businesses to join forces for the development of high-tech solutions capable of strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.
The first day of the summit began with a pitching session, where 28 teams presented innovative solutions in the field of defense technologies: from UAVs and AI guidance to robotic complexes and artillery detection systems. And within the workshops, the participants discussed the challenges of launching and scaling a defense tech business, in particular, legal and financial aspects, as well as development strategies for Ukrainian innovators.
The second day was dedicated to the conference, which highlighted the main issues of the development of the Ukrainian defense tech industry in the conditions of war and the potential of attracting investments for defense innovations. Foreign investors shared their own experience of working with the Ukrainian defense tech market, as well as advice for Ukrainian manufacturers and government officials on the possibilities of stimulating the investment attractiveness of defense innovations. In particular, during the investment panels, such topics as the view of investors on Ukrainian defense technologies and global trends in investing in defense technologies were raised.
During two days, all registered Ukrainian development teams had the opportunity to present their developments both to potential investors and to other participants of the event.
“More than 200 technological developments are registered on the Brave1 platform every month, and each of them needs funding. For a year and a half of work, Brave1 issued grants worth more than 8 million dollars. and actively engaged in matchmaking of producers and investors. It is obvious that this is not enough - international funds must be attracted for scaling and quality R&D. That is why we gathered 650+ developers and more than 100 investors in Kyiv. We must do everything possible not to miss the next game changer of the war, I am sure it will be a Ukrainian development," said Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
A special emphasis of the summit was made on the spheres of UAVs, ground robotic complexes and radio-electronic warfare. Representatives of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Strategic Industries emphasized the importance of state support for defense innovations.
Andriy Lebedenko, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, addressed the participants of the summit. He talked about what technological trends determine the modern battlefield. For their part, Ukrainian manufacturers talked about the transformation from engineering teams to full-fledged businesses, which is ensured by investments and business mentoring. The first comprehensive study of the field of drone production in Ukraine, conducted by the Kyiv School of Economics together with Brave1, was also presented.
As part of the event, the Brave1 cluster signed a memorandum of cooperation with CenSec (the Danish Defense, Space and Security Centre), which opens up new opportunities for cooperation in the field of defense technologies.
So the main numbers of the summit:
more than 1,300 participants;
more than 100 domestic and international investors;
650 developers from 250 teams;
presentations of 28 teams with defensive solutions;
projected investment of up to $50 million by the end of the year.
"Investments are one of the key factors for strengthening the capabilities of Ukrainian manufacturers, and therefore for providing our military with modern and effective technologies. Thanks to the summit, we were able to accumulate international support and once again demonstrate the investment attractiveness of the Ukrainian defense tech industry. I am sure that soon we will learn about investment agreements between manufacturers and investors who met at Defense Tech Valley. We are not stopping and are already planning the next summit, which will consolidate the successes of the first one and open new investment horizons for Ukrainian developers," noted Nataliya Kushnerska, head of the Brave1 cluster.
The Defense Tech Valley summit laid a solid foundation for the further growth of the Ukrainian defense technology industry. Developers and investors are already actively discussing investment deals worth millions of dollars, which will contribute to strategic partnerships and the development of the sector.
