Three Ukrainian defense startups have received $30,000 each for technologies that could change the rules of the game on the frontline. The winners were announced during the final Demo Day of the second Defense Builder accelerator program.
Three Ukrainian defense startups have received $30,000 each for technologies that could change the rules of the game on the frontline. The winners were announced during the final Demo Day of the second Defense Builder accelerator program.
According to Militaryi, nine teams presented their developments to investors, the military, and partners. Some of the technologies have already passed field tests, and some are used on the front lines. The main investors in the program were Sigma Software Labs, KSE, and Buntar Aerospace.
The highest rating and Startup of the Batch title went to the Strug project, an unmanned FPV drone carrier boat with a tactical radius of 240 km. This allows drones to be delivered to the coast of occupied Crimea. The team has already created a pilot batch of six units and plans to transfer them to the troops. The current goal is to raise $500,000 for scaling.
The Military Choice Solution nomination went to Coalas, a startup that creates telemetry systems for FPV drones and ground robots. Its solutions are resistant to enemy electronic warfare (EW) and have already been integrated into over 10,000 drones. The team is seeking $600,000 for further research, marketing, and equipment.
The third winner is Barvinok-5, a digital video module for FPV drones. The team went from idea to MVP in four months and is aiming to raise $300,000 for mass production. The plan is to produce 100 modules, test them on the front lines, and establish integration with drone manufacturers. The developers previously created the BarvinokLRS module, which is already in use by the military.
In addition to the three winners, other teams also presented their solutions at Demo Day: the Birds of Fury kamikaze drone, the Warm Wind mine detonator, the Technary Mongoose interceptor, Frontyr strike systems, Legit Force smart minefields, and the DronmateAI field computer.
The Defence Builder program combines defense expertise with business mentoring, helping developers not only create effective solutions, but also scale production, attract investment and build work with military structures. Given the dynamics of project development, accelerators are increasingly becoming catalysts for technological breakthroughs on the battlefield.
We previously wrote about how Sigma Software Labs, Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), and Buntar Aerospace, which founded the Defence Builder accelerator, announced a mechanism for syndicated investments in the most promising Ukrainian defense tech startups.
