Digital Sovereignty and the startup-MoD challenge

Issue 30: The Build with Ukraine framework, a guest post from John Ridge, Chief Adoption Officer at NIF, and are you HMGCC's new CTO?

Jul 01, 2025

A founder described trying to work with ministries of defence as ‘a door with 50 different doorbells and you’re not sure which one to press.’ // AI generated image by Resilience Media

Good afternoon from the team at Resilience Media

We’ve been hearing a lot about digital sovereignty. No one in Europe wants the plug pulled on their American-hosted systems, so each nation is looking to build its own digital infrastructure. Defence procurement is one of the hardest doors to get through; the person who wants the product is not the person who holds the funding and is not the end user. In Europe this is made worse because each country has its own ministry of defence with its own prime of choice, making market entry even more of a challenge. Total defence sovereignty would cripple a market that is already severely hindered by nationalistic tendencies. The most highly capitalised companies are setting up offices in multiple countries to establish themselves in a program of record, but what about the smaller startups who aren’t able to scale yet?

Two pieces this week in Resilience Media look at this from different angles.

Our Ukrainian correspondent, Oleksandr Ihnatenko dives deep into the Build With Ukraine framework which will allow Ukrainian defence tech companies to export their products, finally opening up this innovative market to the rest of Europe. Meanwhile, NIF’s Chief Adoption Officer, John Ridge, shared a guest post which explores bridging the gap between startups and ministries of defence. You can find both pieces below.

HMGCC, the UK’s National Security Engineering Agency, will today announce that they are searching for a new CTO. This is a pivotal role at a crucial time. HMGCC CEO, George Williamson, explained that “this is a rare chance to take on a really exciting and challenging technology role, helping deliver vital work for national security, the impact of which will be seen across the globe.” You can view the job application here. Please do share this opportunity with your network. It is a role that really matters.

-Leslie, co-founder, Resilience Media

In today’s fast-changing world, innovation is vital not only for winning wars but also for preventing them. Modern defence strategies rely on cutting-edge technology to address emerging dangers like cyberattacks and drones, while also protecting or even replacing soldiers, sailors and aviators on the frontlines. To keep up, Ministries of Defence (MoDs) need to rethink how they adopt new ideas and technologies. Without change, defence systems risk of falling behind.

The most obvious deterrent effect of innovation is that it can help field capabilities that give one side or other a clear advantage in any future conflict. One obvious historical example is the race to develop nuclear weapons during World War II – capabilities that fundamentally altered the balance of power. But innovation also offers a more subtle way to deter. Read John Ridge’s guest post here.

Last week, the news feeds of Western defence tech were excited about a press conference held by President Zelensky. Speaking to a group of selected media outlets on the 21^st of June, he announced the launch of the Build with Ukraine framework, enabling the export of the Ukrainian defence technologies to partner countries. If this plan comes to pass, the three year long ban on Ukrainian defence tech exports will cease.

Many members of the Ukrainian defence tech ecosystems have long lobbied for this decision. Tech Forces in UA, an association of leading manufactures of innovative weapons for Ukraine’s defenders, spent past two years advocating this policy. ‘We welcome the fact that this topic is currently in the focus of the Ukrainian leadership’, Kateryna Mykhalko, Director-General of the coalition, told Resilience Media. Read Oleksandr Ihnatenko’s full dispatch here.

MassChallenge is now accepting applications for its U.S. Early Stage Security & Resiliency Program, running from September to November 2025 in Boston. The program is designed for startups working on dual-use innovations in areas such as:

Secure communications and infrastructure
Energy and power systems
Human health and performance
Resilient supply chains and logistics
Emergency response and humanitarian tech
Maritime and naval technologies

Startups will receive zero-equity support, mentorship, and curated access to the Mass Challenge defence network. Applications are open now through July 15, apply now!

Digital Sovereignty and the startup-MoD challenge

Issue 30: The Build with Ukraine framework, a guest post from John Ridge, Chief Adoption Officer at NIF, and are you HMGCC's new CTO?

Good afternoon from the team at Resilience Media

Europe

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