UNIT.City — місце, де люди працюють... КРАЩЕ! Обирай свій простір просто зараз 👉
Наталя ХандусенкоStartup
28 August 2025, 12:39
2025-08-28
The majority of the team at British-Ukrainian defense technology startup Trypillia are people with military experience. Why this is a conscious choice for the company
British-Ukrainian defence tech startup Trypillian, which works on deep strike systems and innovative drones, has co-founders who have all been on the front lines — some as soldiers, some as humanitarian volunteers, some as fighters in the Ukrainian army. In addition, most of the people on the team are veterans and immediate family members of those who served.
British-Ukrainian defence tech startup Trypillian, which works on deep strike systems and innovative drones, has co-founders who have all been on the front lines — some as soldiers, some as humanitarian volunteers, some as fighters in the Ukrainian army. In addition, most of the people on the team are veterans and immediate family members of those who served.
The Trypillian team is mainly focused on research and development — R&D is located in Ukraine. All specialists — people with aviation experience, specialists in artificial intelligence, optics, and other high-tech fields — work in their own narrow areas.
"I am impressed by the skills of Ukrainian technical specialists. Before the war, Kharkiv was one of the centers of technology, and this potential is felt even now. We want to work with this expertise," said Trypillian's director of strategy, Bob Seely, in an interview with DOU. He is also a British politician and military officer.
Most of the people on the team have military experience: they are veterans, active combatants, and women whose husbands served.
“We make a conscious effort to hire veterans,” Seely said. That experience shapes the company’s priorities, products and culture.
In Ukraine, the R&D team is headed by Ivan Matveichenko, a veteran who fought and was wounded in the Bakhmut direction. The role of Project Manager is performed by Oleg Bondarenko, a former military man, volunteer, and Doctor of Sciences.
In the West, the startup has Brooks Newmark, a former British civil society minister who co-founded Trypillian and helped evacuate about 35,000 Ukrainians from frontline cities at the beginning of the war. He is also an investor in the startup .
“Having this connection with veterans is fundamentally important to us. It sometimes creates challenges, but at the same time it provides enormous value and forms a unique company culture,” said Seeley. The British startup’s team is still small — in fact, it’s just Brooks Newmark and Bob Seeley.
“Right now it’s more of a Ukrainian company with British participation. Over time, we will expand and become more Anglo-Ukrainian, especially when we start to scale in Europe,” added the startup’s strategy director.
One of Trypillian's ideas is to involve Ukrainian veterans in training NATO armies.
"They can conduct training, participate in war games as a "blue" or "red" team. This is both employment for veterans, and support for Ukrainian units, and at the same time an effective way to train Western allies," Seely said.
$5 million from former British minister. British-Ukrainian defense technology startup Trypillian, founded by former military personnel, attracts investment.
