Inside Brave1, the Tech Hub Powering Ukraine’s Battlefield Innovations

Within days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainian forces were turning even off-the-shelf drones into weapons of war. A simple DJI Mavic became an eye in the sky, spotting enemy columns and guiding strikes.

“I remember conducting reconnaissance aboard a Leleka drone in the Kharkiv region,” says a soldier from the 93rd “Kholodnyi Yar” Brigade in an interview with UNITED24 Media. “I was tracking a Russian convoy. When they spotted the UAV, they panicked — they thought it was a missile — and fled, scattering into the forest.” 

Russia often spent far more to destroy these drones, using anti-air missiles that cost many times more than the drones themselves, which were valued at tens of thousands of dollars.

It became clear that Ukraine had fewer tanks, less artillery, and fewer infantry fighting vehicles than Russia. Victory, therefore, required ingenuity. Ukraine turned to technology to compensate where it lacked soldiers or armored vehicles. This gave rise to FPV drones — a game-changer on the front lines. In the Black Sea, unmanned naval drones played a similar role, helping to effectively push Russia’s fleet out of the region.

The state does not create technology but can foster its development by funding research and development and placing orders to scale production. To guide entrepreneurs and engineers toward the right support channels, Ukraine established a centralized platform — a defense cluster for Defense Tech companies called Brave1. It launched operations in 2023.

Brave1 serves several key functions:

• Providing a platform where developers can showcase their technological solutions.

• Enabling soldiers to assess these solutions, provide feedback, and help adapt them to battlefield needs based on their own experience.

• Offering grants ranging from 500,000 hryvnias ($12,000) to 8 million hryvnias (around $200,000), allowing teams to refine their products.

• Assisting with testing.

• Supporting scaling efforts.

• Connecting developers with investors interested in funding product development.

The core idea of Brave1 is to unite developers, the military, investors, and the state in one place. A high-quality product can quickly receive a grant for refinement, get direct feedback from the military, undergo certification, receive government orders, and be officially adopted by the Ukrainian Armed Forces — all through a clear, streamlined process.

Is Brave1 delivering results?

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, the concept of Defense Tech was virtually unknown in Ukraine, and drone manufacturers could be counted on one hand.

Today, Brave1 boasts 1,500 companies and more than 3,500 projects. In its first year, the cluster awarded $3.2 million in grants. By 2024, that figure grew tenfold — to over $30 million. The plan for 2025 is even more ambitious — nearly $70 million.

However, what matters most is not the amount of funding, but what it has achieved. Brave1 has facilitated the creation of robotic platforms and helped drone and UAV manufacturers scale their operations.

Electronic warfare (EW) systems offer a clear example of Brave1’s impact. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine had only a handful of EW systems, far inferior to Russia’s in quality. In 2023, Brave1 launched a dedicated development track for EW capabilities. To date, 240 projects have passed through the cluster. So when Ukraine’s Air Defense reports that “57 Shaheds were lost from radar,” it is partly thanks to solutions developed through Brave1.

Brave1 has now entered a new phase, supporting missile system development. In 2024, Ukraine demonstrated its capability to produce long-range missiles domestically, such as Palianytsia, Peklo, Ruta, and others. The goal for 2025 is to scale production significantly, aiming to manufacture 3,000 long-range missiles. The program for manufacturers has already begun within Brave1, allowing teams with ideas to apply for development grants.

The cluster’s significance lies in being the sole support platform for Defense Tech innovations. Engineers or entrepreneurs who develop a drone or missile no longer need to waste time searching for an institution willing to review their work — they simply register on the website and submit an application.

Brave1 also plays a crucial role in engaging the international community, particularly investors. Several times a year, the cluster organizes special events showcasing Ukraine’s best technological solutions and the companies producing them. In 2024, official figures show the sector attracted $59 million in investments — only $40 million of that from government grants, with the remainder coming from private investments. The goal for 2025 is to double those numbers.

By uniting the community, the cluster serves not only individual engineers or developers but also the state itself. When Ukraine identifies a specific need, it can announce: “We need a solution to this problem. If you know how to solve it — come to us. We will fund you, and if testing is successful, we’ll place an order.” 

This approach has led to the emergence of entirely new sectors and products within Ukraine. At the same time, by engaging with the community, the government can identify bottlenecks hindering progress in specific areas and remove them. This has already happened in the drone sector: repealing dozens of outdated legislative restrictions allowed two dozen manufacturers to scale their production. In turn, this fosters competition, lowers prices for the state, and improves product quality.

Most importantly, the government does not monopolize the sector or slow decision-making. Instead, it collaborates with agile players, facilitates access to capital, and places orders for the best solutions.

To revisit the question of whether the idea worked, one figure speaks volumes: today, Ukrainian manufacturers have the capacity to produce 4.5 million various UAVs and FPV drones annually. At the start of 2024, many doubted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plan to produce 1 million drones could become a reality.

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