Drones are advancing day by day, and with it many new startups are emerging. There are a number of different initiatives supporting drone startups, and one such organization is the UK-Ukraine TechExchange.
TechExchange is a non-profit initiative aimed at supporting startups in the UK and Ukraine, with a primary focus on the agritech and defensetech sectors. Its mission is to support the war effort and support Ukraine’s recovery by connecting startups with growth opportunities, investment, and networks that accelerate innovation.
“As I am Ukrainian, I am dedicated to supporting the Ukrainian war effort in any way I can,” explains Andriy Dovbenko, founder of the UK-Ukraine TechExchange. The program is aimed at startups from both countries and aims to attract the investment needed to bring both countries’ innovative technologies to the world.
Who does TechExchange support?
The initiative is currently supporting startups such as Skyton and Pirotechnica, both Ukrainian companies specializing in unmanned aerial vehicles, and Transampex, which focuses on humanitarian demining. Kvertus is also supported with contributions to electronic warfare and reconnaissance systems.
Why is it important?
TechExchange offers many benefits to startups, including:
- UK startups get on-site testing opportunity in Ukraine.
- Ukrainian startups receive support regarding the logistics and legality of technology transportation.
- Start-ups in both countries have access to early-stage investors.
- Access to mentoring and networking opportunities essential to growth.
Given these advantages, Andriy Dovbenko emphasizes that “the support of innovative technologies is essential to bring Ukraine closer to victory.” Because defense technology is essential today and agricultural technology is key to post-war recovery, TechExchange focuses on companies whose technology has the potential to make a big difference. ”
Other drone startups to watch this year
Let’s take a look at five drone startups that look promising this year.
1. Skyton
Skyeton is a Ukraine-based company that manufactures unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Co-founded in 2014 by his CEO and CTO Alex Stepura and his COO Roman Knyazhenko, his Skyeton product provides accurate aerial data for precise ground interventions.
Aviation production operations operate at two levels: civil and defense. On the civilian side, Skyton provides real-time monitoring of vast areas, extensive infrastructure, and hard-to-reach areas with high precision and precision.
This makes it possible to intervene before significant losses occur. For defense, it can identify and locate targets within enemy territory and overcome GPS jamming, link spoofing, and ground-to-air attacks. As a result, Skyton’s unmanned aerial vehicles are able to intervene before the enemy attacks.
Skyeton’s drones can be used to collect vast amounts of data, including mapping borders and coastlines, inspecting power lines, and fighting wildfires. Additionally, it can collect data and acquire targets without GPS under electronic warfare.
Skyeton’s systems also feature an all-weather and all-terrain design. The company’s Raybird UAS can fly over 150 kilometers for about 30 hours and perform object recognition in vast remote areas.
Since 2022, Skyton’s Raybird UAS has been used by all Ukrainian armed forces in the conflict with Russia, with more than 100 UAVs currently on the battlefield.
2. Tekever.
We develop and operate drones that use AI to detect threats to human life and the environment, including human and drug trafficking, piracy, and oil spills. Currently our drones include:
- Deployed to Ukraine for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
- Used by the Home Office, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
- So advanced that we have also established a space division to supply intersatellite link technology to the European Space Agency’s Hera program. This will determine whether we can one day deflect an asteroid heading toward Earth.
Looking ahead to 2024, we will intensify our efforts to scale the company. We built it from scratch and it took us 20 years to receive funding. In 2022, he raised €20 million in funding led by UK-based VC fund Ventura. Interestingly, the Financial Times reported plans to raise a significant amount of capital in the coming months.
We are increasing our investments around the world to reflect our growing customer base. Although founded and developed in Portugal, we have also established a footprint in the UK, with offices in both Southampton and Wales. Expanding its footprint across Europe, he recently opened a base in Toulouse, Europe’s space capital, in November 2023.
3. Cubertus
Kvertus is a world-leading Ukrainian producer and manufacturer of electronic warfare defense systems with advanced detection and suppression capabilities. Kvertus was founded in 2016, but the invasion of Ukraine completely changed the company and its operations.
With the sole mission of saving lives, Kvertus has manufactured over 3,000 items since 2022 and saved at least 50,000 lives with its range of products. iIt’s patented products have suppression and detection capabilities.
Founded by Andrii Znaichenko and led by CEO Yaroslav Filimonov, Skyeton is based in Kiev. Our 160-strong team has first-hand experience of what it takes to create critical technology. Because we carry out research and development at the closest possible level, our technology has the “Ukrainian seal of approval.”
Kvertus’ technology not only suppresses and detects enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones, but its Kvertus Ad Kraken projects a wide protective dome to establish safe corridors and thwart enemy electronic artillery. It is a fixed system.
Kvertus’ ‘click-and-forget-protect’ approach to defense technology means saving lives and protecting civilian infrastructure is at the core of what it does. Such infrastructure includes transportation hubs, stadiums, bridges, stadiums, and cities.
4. Brothworm.
Broswarm is a Vilnius-based defense technology startup founded in 2023. Its goal is to transform the way mine detection works globally to save lives and restore land. The company leverages state-of-the-art multi-sensor fusion technology, incorporating drones and AI, to significantly improve the speed, safety and efficiency of demining operations.
The innovative approach of combining different sensors was recently powered by a $100,000 investment from ScaleWolf. One of the objectives of accelerating mine detection efforts is to alleviate the situation in Ukraine, which is plagued by widespread landmines covering more than 30% of its territory.
Broswarm’s multi-sensor array technology is a unique combination of metal detectors, magnetometers, thermal imaging, and HD cameras. In addition, Broswarm is working on a breakthrough, patented sensor that can detect previously undetectable objects.
Broswarm was founded in 2023 by retired founder Ernestas Žvaigždinas, Karolis Žvaigždinas, a physicist specializing in machine learning programming, and Mindaugas Talaikis, an engineer. In 2023, the startup won the Best New Defense Technology Award at the Lithuanian Defense Technology Conference Ugnis Skydas.
5. Buntar Aerospace
Ukraine-based Buntar Aerospace is significantly reducing the cost of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions through two solutions: Buntar One and Buntar Copilot. The former is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that reduces high mission failure rates due to enemy electronic warfare systems, and the latter is AI-powered mission planning software.
Buntar One is designed for reconnaissance in modern warfare, and Buntar Copilot is smart software that extends lifespan by up to 10 times, significantly reduces drone losses and maximizes mission efficiency.
Buntar Aerospace, co-founded by CEO Ivan Kaunov, COO Kateryna Bezsudna, and CPO Bohdan Sas, has discovered that 90% of a drone operator’s work in mission preparation can be automated.
With this in mind, Buntar Aerospace’s solutions have expanded the scope of real-time ISR on the battlefield at a lower cost. Aerial reconnaissance systems reduce cost per mission by reducing human factors.
