Oleksandr Soroka, founder of the Network.VC fund and the Ukrainian Valley community, told which Ukrainian defense startups are the most notable on the American market among those in which his company has invested.
Oleksandr Soroka, founder of the Network.VC fund and the Ukrainian Valley community, told which Ukrainian defense startups are the most notable on the American market among those in which his company has invested.
He reported this in an interview with the DOU publication.
«The most notable ones from our portfolio right now are Swarmer and Bavovna. They are among the leaders, and I’ll explain why: the company already has American and European contracts, and this is critically important. After all, the US is the largest market, and access to it opens up a completely different level of opportunities,» said Soroka.
Swarmer was founded in 2023 by Sergey Kuprienko and Alex Fink. The software developed by the startup connects drones into a network. Decisions can be made instantly by the entire group, and a person only intervenes to give the «green light» to automated strikes. In the fall, Swarmer raised $15 million in its first major investment round.
Ukrainian startup Bavovna.AI develops AI-based drone control systems. It is currently based in the US and announced the closing of a late-seed round worth $1.7 million last year.
«When a startup operates only in Ukraine, investors see high risks: the war may end, and domestic demand will drop sharply. Therefore, Ukrainian defense teams need to learn to sell in Europe, the USA, and the Middle East. It is those who were able to go beyond Ukraine that have a chance to scale today,» says Oleksandr Soroka.
He added that he knows of several more startups with Ukrainian founders that already have sales in the U.S. According to him, most often these are companies where the founders live either in America or in Europe, sometimes even in Ukraine, but are legally incorporated in the U.S.
Soroka said that the Network VC fund, which often invests in Ukrainian defense startups, already has about 100 companies in its portfolio .
«Of these, 13 are deftech startups, about half are American, half are Ukrainian. But they are still registered either here or somewhere in Europe,» the entrepreneur clarified.
He also said that the average check from his fund is $200-300 thousand, and the maximum is $500,000.
Recall that earlier Oleksandr Soroka announced the launch of the Ukrainian «technological and scientific society» Ukrainian Valley, based in Silicon Valley, USA. The goal of the community is to unite Ukrainian talents in the field of technology, scientists, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. Currently, about 500 tech professionals, 50 companies and startups, and 25 investment funds and business angels have joined the initiative.
