The Swedish-Ukrainian IT ecosystem Beetroot has officially announced the launch of a new division, Beetroot Defence. The main goal of the initiative is to help European defense companies adapt their technologies to the conditions of a real war in Ukraine and strengthen their joint innovation potential.
The Swedish-Ukrainian IT ecosystem Beetroot has officially announced the launch of a new division, Beetroot Defence. The main goal of the initiative is to help European defense companies adapt their technologies to the conditions of a real war in Ukraine and strengthen their joint innovation potential.
Beetroot founder Andreas Flodström explained in a blitz interview with the Vector portal that Beetroot Defence will combine three key components of the ecosystem:
Educational: training through Beetroot Academy.
Engineering: R&D expertise and software development (Security-first and AI solutions) through Beetroot Tech.
Investment: financing defense projects through the Varangians fund.
The unit was headed by a veteran of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleh Krisenko, who has over 10 years of military experience and, after being released from captivity, dedicated himself to developing technologies for the defense capabilities of Ukraine and Europe.
The strategic goal of the ecosystem is to invest up to €10 million in companies whose solutions have practical significance for the security sector. Both Ukrainian teams and developers from partner countries will be able to receive funding.
At the same time, Beetroot founder Andreas Flodström emphasized that the company made a conscious decision not to create its own military products under the Beetroot brand, but to focus on services, partner support, and training.
By the summer of this year, Beetroot Academy will launch five specialized courses within the educational track:
Embedded Development
Drone Firmware
Intro to Miltech
Cybersecurity for Embedded
Computer Vision
According to Andreas Flodström, Ukraine's biggest advantage right now is its unique practical experience in applying technology on the battlefield. However, to win, it is necessary to mobilize the entire European Tech sector, which requires serious reforms and simplification of regulatory norms both in Ukraine and in the EU countries.
