The first Drone Demo Day in Ukraine took place in Kyiv: Main results
Last week 73 teams presented their technological developments for the Ukrainian Defence Forces at the first Drone Demo Day in Ukraine.
More than 300 participants took part in the event, which demonstrated for the military and investors both ready-made solutions that are already working effectively on the front lines, as well as ideas for which they were looking for strengthening and support.
Drone Demo Day became a unique place where participants could not only talk about projects, but also find the necessary help and partners. Teams teamed up, found space and parts to manufacture, and consulted with experts and the military to create the most needed technology for our warfighters.
“Drones are irreplaceable and very necessary equipment in war. Drone Demo Day was attended by more than three hundred developers who are ready to change the rules of the game on the battlefield. We will be able to win with the help of drones and new developments in this field, saving the lives of our soldiers and civilians. The synergy of developers, innovators, the military and investors guarantee us a strong development and future,” said Dmytro Shimkiv, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Startup Fund.
The developers demonstrated the projects of air, ground and underwater UAVs of operational-tactical level of various types, communications equipment, drop systems, ammunition for drones, electronic warfare and electronic reconnaissance equipment, software, demining systems, transportation and other technologies necessary for UAV maintenance in the field.
“While the military defends the country on the front lines, specialists in the rear are looking for new solutions to strengthen the army with technology. Drone Demo Day has become a platform for meeting, networking and starting cooperation between developers, military and investors. The teams were able to hear the real problems and needs of the army, and the military – to find new ideas and solutions for the Armed Forces,” said Georgiy Dubynskyi, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
The military noted most of the startups and invited them to undergo tests on the training ground. In the near future, they will demonstrate their UAVs and other solutions to the military in practice, which can strengthen the Ukrainian army.
According to the results of the event, three teams received grants in the amount of 5,000 US dollars for the implementation of their own projects from the Kyiv School of Economics. In addition, representatives of the Defense Forces of Ukraine shortlisted 20 teams of the best projects that can soon strengthen the army.
“Most teams are competitive and in the future will be able to bring their solutions to the level required by the army, and some of them can already strengthen our army. We invite the teams that have ready samples to the training ground to show the real result. We can now see that a design school in the field of UAVs and other areas of robotization of weapons and military equipment has been formed and is developing rapidly in Ukraine. The faster we develop technological developments, the more efficiently we will apply them on the battlefield, the more people we will save and the sooner we will defeat the Russian occupants,” said the representative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Ihor Televny.
The military also called on all UAV developers to submit applications on the platform https://miltech.usf.com.ua for certification and obtaining permission for operation in the Armed Forces.
MORE INFORMATION:
Drone Demo Day was organized by the Ukrainian Startup Fund together with the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Special Operations Forces, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Kyiv School of Economics. The information partner is the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
In August 2022, a three-day military-tech Drone Hackathon was held as part of the “Drone Army” project to find new digital solutions and increase the development of drone production and technical support in Ukraine. Currently, 6 teams are undergoing acceleration and working on projects with the help of experts and mentors.
