Ukraine Launches New Platform to Help Start-Ups ‘Strike the Russians’

Ukraine has launched a new platform that aims to bring together global tech expertise and develop projects that can assist in the country’s fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

BRAVE1 will help companies, the state, military, investors and volunteer foundations coordinate, linking up start-ups with potential investors.

In a recent interview with the Kyiv Post, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said the platform will support military projects with grants, expertise, and communication with the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense.

"I am certain that projects will be born there that will protect us and strike the Russians," the minister added.

Speaking at the launch of BRAVE1 on Wednesday, he added: “The strategic goal of the platform is to increase the production of weapons and military equipment: both in Ukraine and abroad in partnership with other countries; both state and private enterprises.

“Any startup with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) of an innovative product and the desire to launch serial production or an independent developer or a company with a clear idea will be able to get all the necessary expertise on one platform and then get a government contract for their product.”

The project is an initiative of the Ministries of Digital Transformation, Defense, Economy, Strategic Industries, as well as the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the National Security and Defense Council.

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With Russia’s full-scale invasion approaching the 1,000-day mark, 3.7 million people have already been displaced inside Ukraine and around 6.7 million have fled as refugees, according to UN figures.

Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov noted that the launch of the BRAVE1 cluster is taking place at a very important moment when Ukraine must quickly learn the lessons of war and respond to challenges.

"We have no choice but to create the most powerful army in the world. After all, we are actually fulfilling the mission for which NATO was created," Reznikov said.

Fourteen companies have joined or are planning to join BRAVE11. Including:

• The AeroDrone company, which before the war produced drones for sawing fields, and now supplies them to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, manufactures drones that can carry up to 300 kilograms of cargo or fly up to several thousand kilometers in certain configurations.

• Roboneers is a team of engineers, electronics, ex-military and IT specialists who develop UAVs, remote control modules, software and situational awareness applications, as well as remotely operated platforms.

• Strata22 – an immersive multimedia platform for increasing combat readiness.

• "Delta" is a situational awareness and battlefield management system developed and used in Ukraine.

• Zvook is a hardware and software complex capable of acoustically detecting cruise missiles, helicopters, drones and fighter jets at low and medium altitudes.

• Esper Bionics (Gazda) - the first prosthesis that improves and acquires abilities over time

• Delfast military electric bicycles. This is the Guinness World Record for the longest distance (228 miles) traveled on a single charge.

• Drone.UA - the leading integrator of unmanned technologies on the Ukrainian market.

• TEMERLAND - a unique project of the Ukrainian company for the development of unmanned robotic complexes and platforms, and modernization of vehicles into unmanned ground complexes.

• UkrSpecSystems is a Ukrainian company specializing in the development and production of UAVs, drones, payloads and related equipment.

• Drill is a unique mobile application from Ukrainian developers for gun owners to train and improve shooting skills.

• DEF-C is a Ukrainian company of the Intecracy Group consortium, which for a long time has been engaged in projects in the field of creation and use of drones, solutions in the civil and defense sectors and provides a wide range of services based on them.

• CyberUnit.Tech: Cyber Military, Critical Infrastructure, Defense Hackathon

• Marine drone (TBC)

In addition, the Ukrainian government has created the Defense Innovation Council within BRAVE1 - a community of international experts and experts who have influence and experience in the international arena of innovations, technologies and weapons and will become ambassadors of the project around the world. It will be headed by Apple's top manager Mark Lennon.