An accelerator for Ukrainian unmanned aircrafy systems (UAS), known as Brave1, figures prominently in the efforts at public/private partnership and defense tech innovation in Ukraine. Details here – including how your organization can partner with the effort or submit a solution for consideration by the Brave1 accelerator.
Background
Here is how Dan Madden from Squadra Ventures – in his recent article (based on a recent visit to Ukraine) Startup Army: How the War in Ukraine is Rewriting the Future of Defense Tech – contextualized contextualized the role of Brave1 in the innovation ecosystem in Ukraine:
“Ukraine’s General Staff provides the Ministry of Digital Transformation with guidance on current critical problems or capability needs. These aren’t typically detailed system requirements to generate a request for proposal. They tend to be high-level statements that give the Ministry of Digital Transformation the opportunity to explore a variety of technical solutions from industry. The Ministry of Digital Transformation will supplement the guidance they receive from the General Staff with interviews of servicemembers returning from the front, as well as more informal communications with soldiers forward deployed, sometimes through group chat apps.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation has several resources available to pursue these capability needs. The most clearly focused is Brave1, an accelerator for Ukrainian unmanned systems. Brave1 will assist Ukrainian startups and small businesses not only with grants, but guiding them through the authorization to field process. It should be noted that the authorization to field process can take several months, though progress is being made. Other resources include the Ukrainian Startup Fund, which focuses on commercial Ukrainian startups, United24, and coordination with the Ukraine Defense Fund.
Industrial Base: Talent and Capital
The response of Ukrainian civil society to the Russian invasion and its will to fight has had an extraordinary expression in the influx of talent into Ukraine’s defense industrial base. We spoke with scores of founders and technologists that were building defense technology to protect Ukraine. Few had experience in defense. Prior to the invasion, most were working on B2B SaaS, adtech, agtech, or pursuing graduate degrees in electrical engineering. In some cases, teams formed in the early days of fighting around Kyiv, where they were living together and working around the clock to respond to warfighter and humanitarian needs. Counterintuitively, this crisis became a moment for rapid progress in public-private collaboration and digital citizenship.
This influx of talent has directly contributed to the rapid growth of Ukraine’s UAS industrial base. There are close to 200 Ukrainian UAS startups. We had the opportunity to speak with several of them, watch field experiments, and tour production facilities. The Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation, Brave1, and the Eric Schmidt-backed team at D3, a Ukrainian drone accelerator, were all especially helpful.” (1)
About the Brave1 Cluster
According to the public-facing Brave1 website, Brave1 is a “United coordinational [sic] platform created by the Government of Ukraine to promote collaboration between all stakeholders of the defense tech industry by providing them with organizational, informational, and financial support for defense tech projects in Ukraine.”
For Partners
Brave1 welcomes International Partners, Investors, and Corporation to Join Brave1 Our goal is to create a strong community of Defense tech stakeholders who benefit from exchanging expertise and opportunities
What do we offer to international partners:
- Access the Ukrainian Defense Innovations with a soft-landing procedure for a foreign partners.
- Partnership and cooperation between stakeholders from public and private sectors
- Organizational support, access to pitches, hackathons, meetups, grants, and investments
- Participation in networking events, pitches, demo days, etc.
- Development and testing of Ukrainian and international advanced technologies
- Investments opportunities in Ukrainian cutting-edge defense tech developments
How It Works
- Register on a Brave1 portal
- Add your project or proposal to the system
- Get feedback and assistance from Brave1 team
You can submit a solution to the Brave1 accelerator here.
Priority verticals include:
- Weapons Systems
- Demining
- Protection and Security
- Cybersecurity
- Supply and Logistics
- Intelligence
- Unmanner Aerial Vehicles
- Navigation
- Robots
- Medical Support
Additional OODA Loop Resources
Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Russia’s aggression against Ukraine prompts global repercussions on supply chains and cybersecurity. This act highlights potential threats from nations like China and could shift defense postures, especially in countries like Japan. See: Russia Threat Brief
Benefits of Automation and New Technology: Automation, AI, robotics, and Robotic Process Automation are improving business efficiency. New sensors, especially quantum ones, are revolutionizing sectors like healthcare and national security. Advanced WiFi, cellular, and space-based communication technologies are enhancing distributed work capabilities. See: Advanced Automation and New Technologies
Geopolitical-Cyber Risk Nexus: The interconnectivity brought by the Internet has made regional issues affect global cyberspace. Now, every significant event has cyber implications, making it imperative for leaders to recognize and act upon the symbiosis between geopolitical and cyber risks. See The Cyber Threat
