Western governments are not reacting to the threat of war quickly or clearly; will startups step in?
Issue 12: Slava Ukraini, dispatches from Brave1's Defence Innovations Forum, drones are the new tanks, and more from our 'The Future of Defence Tech Manufacturing & Innovation' event
Good afternoon from the team at Resilience Media
Today is the third anniversary of the full scale invasion of Ukraine. We founded Resilience Conference to support the role the tech sector can play in the defence of democracy. The last couple of weeks have shown that we, the people, cannot rely on our governments to protect democracy and confront dictators. Increasingly, in Ukraine and across NATO, we have seen startups and private investment step up to bring innovation and pace to defence and national security. The rule of law, freedom of expression, global trade, and a peacetime dividend have nurtured a tech sector born out of Cold War necessity and investment.
The urgency we felt last year hit home as we were sitting in Munich a week ago watching the certainties of the last 80 years fall away. Now, more than ever, we need the brilliance, ingenuity, and drive of the tech sector to play its part in defending the fragile democratic experiment of the last few decades.
In this issue we cover some of the key moments from our panel discussions in Munich below, Brave1’s huge defence tech event in Kyiv, and the role of drones in defence.
The Role of Startups: Why Defence Tech Must Rethink Manufacturing and Investment
The New Economics of Defence: The Financial Barriers Holding Back Defence Innovation
Winning the War with Innovation: How BRAVE1, SmartCap, and NIF Are Reshaping Defence Manufacturing
Slava Ukraini.
-Leslie, co-founder, Resilience Media
In the queues, the foreigners who had arrived the previous day looked enthusiastic but tired. A dozen Iranian Shahed-136 drones had targeted Kyiv the night before, greeted by the crackling of anti-air guns. To the residents, this is just the background noise to most evenings. But for those people spending their first night in Kyiv since the war started, most found it hard to sleep through their first air-raid.
Brave1 Defence Tech Innovation Forum 2025 brought to Kyiv people who in the past were reluctant to visit Ukraine. “At a similar event last autumn, I only met the most daring Europeans”, recalled a Ukrainian defence tech startup manager, “now my pockets are full of international business cards with ‘M&A’ on them.”
Read the full dispatch from Oleksandr Ihnatenko here.
Europe’s security landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. As the continent reassesses its defence priorities in response to growing geopolitical tensions, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: traditional military procurement strategies—centred around tanks, fighter jets, and heavily armoured divisions—are proving outdated. The conflicts of today and tomorrow demand a different approach, one that emphasises agility, adaptability, and technological superiority. Read more here.
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NATO
America’s military supremacy is in jeopardy
Estonia’s tech investors take defence into their own hands as Russia threat looms
Estonia Spy Chief: Russia Hybrid Attacks are Real Attacks
Europe Fails to Seize the Moment on Ukraine
Keir Starmer lays down Ukraine peace demand ahead of Trump talks
Starmer to overrule Rachel Reeves and boost spending on defence
Trump’s United States is now a threat to democracy in Europe
Startup Funding Announcements
Castelion Announces Series A Funding
Saronic Raises $600M Series C to Take on Autonomous Shipbuilding