In a year and a half of existence, the Ukrainian Defense Technology cluster, Brave1, has started collaborating with over 240 investors from more than 30 countries. The development of software for Defense Tech is one of the areas that is of most interest to investors.
This was shared by the head of Brave1, Nataliya Kushnerska, in an interview with LIGA.net.
Brave1 was introduced in April 2023 and launched in July. During this time:
- Over 3,100 developments by domestic innovators in the Defense Tech sector have been registered.
- About 250 applicants were denied registration as developers on the Brave1 platform. Reasons for refusal included connections to Russia and Belarus, or applicants failing to make timely amendments to their applications as requested by the cluster team.
- More than 1,400 private Defense Tech solution manufacturers have been registered, with over 500 UAV manufacturers in Ukraine, over 180 developers of ground robotic complexes, and over 140 manufacturers of electronic warfare systems.
- Initially, manufacturers could receive only $5,000 or $25,000, but today, developers can apply for grants of 4 million UAH and 8 million UAH.
- 394 grants have been awarded, totaling 420.3 million UAH.
- In 2024, the cluster helped attract over $25 million in investments into Ukrainian Defense Tech, five times more than the previous year.
- It is expected that by the end of the year, the investment figure will exceed $50 million.
- The cluster is already working with more than 240 investors from over 30 countries.
What areas are most interesting to investors?
The most interest from foreign investors is focused on software for Defense Tech due to its ease of scaling and broader sales opportunities.
"It can be targeted not only at government contracts but also at sales to other manufacturers, which significantly simplifies the path to contracts, revenues, and rapid growth," Kushnerska added.
Another area is components for complex technological systems.
"Investors are actively interested in parts for drones, such as cameras and motors. This simplifies investment, as such components often fall under the Dual-Use concept (dual-purpose technologies), which removes some investment restrictions in this area," explained the head of Brave1.
If we look at the specific directions, the key ones today are unmanned aerial vehicles and solutions aimed at fighting drones.
Currently, the cluster has identified a number of priorities, including: missiles, anti-shahids, lasers, surface and underwater drones, drone swarm technology, autonomous strike systems, drone carriers, anti-GAB, the Ukrainian Mavic, and guided munitions.
"These are the technologies most needed by the Ukrainian military, and also those capable of giving the Security and Defense Forces an advantage over the enemy," said Kushnerska.
