Over 50 Ukrainian defense technology startups attracted over $105 million in investments and grants in 2025. According to the Ministry of Digital Affairs, this is approximately a third of all early investments in defense tech in Europe, including the United Kingdom.
Over 50 Ukrainian defense technology startups attracted over $105 million in investments and grants in 2025. According to the Ministry of Digital Affairs, this is approximately a third of all early investments in defense tech in Europe, including the United Kingdom.
As the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov reported on his Telegram channel, according to the analytical platform Dealroom.co, in 2025, European defense companies at the Pre-seed, Seed, and Series A stages raised a total of about $200 million. Ukrainian teams work precisely at these early stages, so their results look especially noticeable against the background of the whole of Europe.
Fedorov emphasizes that Brave1 remains the largest angel investor for Ukrainian defense tech, but the platform’s role is no longer limited to grants. The team helps startups prepare for negotiations with venture funds, enter the international market, and scale developments that have undergone combat «run-in» at the front. If not long ago, typical checks were $200,000–400,000, now rounds of $2.5–5 million are becoming the new norm for the most promising projects.
Among the largest known investments in 2025, Fedorov names the $15 million Swarmer round, the $3.74 million investment in Tencore, the $1.5 million deal for Teletactica, the $1.3 million funding for M-fly, the $2.75 million Dropla round, and the $1 million received by Norda Dynamics. In total, this includes more than fifty companies working on drones, control systems, communications, sensors, and software for the military.
For comparison, according to the minister, in 2024, Ukrainian defense startups attracted a total of about $60 million, with most of it coming from grant programs. Now the balance is shifting towards private investments: specialized funds and family offices are entering the market, ready to risk capital for access to Ukraine’s unique combat experience. Some of the large deals are not advertised for security reasons, but are known to ecosystem participants.
Brave1 emphasizes that they will continue to invest in the development of defense technologies and help Ukrainian teams attract capital from global venture funds. According to Fedorov, the success of 2025 shows that Ukrainian defense tech is transforming from a niche direction into a separate magnet for international investors.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Brave1 defense technology platform is opening a separate grant program for Ukrainian companies that create components for UAVs, NRCs, electronic warfare, and other equipment. Manufacturers will be able to attract up to UAH 8 million for testing, refining solutions, and preparing for mass production.
