Deborah Fairlamb on LinkedIn: DIU Clearing More Drones for Military Use (2024)

And to emphasize and expand on my previous post ...Thanks Sergiy Koshman and BRAVE1!

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NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), European Investment Fund (EIF) - please take note. Spending lots of money on expensive-but-far-from-the-frontlines tech is not always going to be the answer. #UkrainianResourcefulness focuses on problems and finds solutions every single day. A Yak-52 may be an extreme example, but please consider more ways to provide funding for this current generation of Ukraine's brilliant, but not-yet-NATO, not-yet-EU startups to access funding to share their very real world defense tech problem solving with the West. From Kyiv, Green Flag Ventures finds great UA dual use startups that see problems and find solutions. But we can only do so much.

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For those of you who don't follow russian state news on a regular basis, this is a lovely little peek into a modern heart of darkness (w/ English subtitles). Marijn Markus thanks for sharing this.

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I am not sure who is more psyched that Mike Baird is back in Kyiv - Green Flag Ventures or the rest of the defense tech ecosystem in Ukraine. Either way, the thing that unites us all is the recognition of Mike's experience, insight, perspective, and willingness to do hard things for all the right reasons. Welcome back Mike & really glad to have you as part of the team!

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Jussi Muurikainen, many thanks for putting your inspiration into action, for bringing people together at a time when much of the world feels like we are spinning apart, and for focusing resources in a clear and tangible way that will have benefits for both investors and startups. IT Arena and Lviv IT Cluster are powerhouse partners for an initiative like this. Green Flag Ventures is proud to be part of Bridge of Trust and look forward to watching the magic happen as people come to Ukraine and experience its tech talent, energy, determination and passion for themselves.

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Last week's Defense Innovators Forum in Krakow brought together the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), BRAVE1, Ukrainian startups and experts from Europe and the US, to talk about the impact that dual use technology is playing in the defence of Ukraine.The use of cutting-edge dual use tech has been a crucial component in Ukraine's defense. Unmanned vehicles create the opportunity to keep more humans away from direct lines of contact, saving precious lives. New navigation systems that can operate in GPS denied environments have relevance for the front line and for commercial aviation. AI is used to manage and understand huge amounts of data in a relevant and actionable way. Ukrainians develop new dual use tech products that solve specific challenges faster, they produce them quickly and in quantity, and the Ukrainian versions are far, far less expensive. The paradigms of defense have changed. A quick shout out to Sensorama Lab for winning the 2 day hackathon that was held alongside the conference. Green Flag Ventures is motivated every day by the amazing people we get to connect with!

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Thanks Enrique Oti for sharing these important points. What does Green Flag Ventures see in Ukraine with new drone tech? Fast Early Product Iteration (a few days to respond to feedback from the front is the norm, although I know of situations where changes have been made in hours)Fast Production (a thousand+ new model FPV drones in a month? no problem)Fast Procurement (months in UA vs years in the West)Economics Matter ($500 drones take out $500,000 tanks with ease. I couldn't even hazard a guess on the cost ratio for what took down the Moskva.) Add in the weekly adaptations to counter evolving EW and it is clear from this vantage point that everything has changed. Western countries must to rethink defence products, processes, procurement and where they spend.

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And NATO, even if you are not paying attention to this, russia is, now that they have allocated almost 1/3 of their national budget to defense spending for 2024. “Today on the battlefield, the victor is the one who is more open to innovation, more open to the most rapid implementation,” Dmitri Peskov, kremlin spokesperson. (From a NY Times May 12 article about the new minister of defense in russia.)

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It was a great to take part in the IT Meets Startups event. Another great group of Ukrainian tech on display. The diversity of ideas, talent of teams, and resiliency of all never fails to impress. Congrats to all the participants!

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