The Ministry of Digital Transformation and Brave1 to host the world’s largest defense tech investment summit
On September 16–17 in Lviv, Brave1 Defense Tech Valley 2025 will take place, becoming the world’s largest investment summit focused on defense technologies. The event will bring together more than 5,000 participants, including leading venture capital funds and investors from Ukraine, Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and Asia; defense tech end users; and representatives of top Ukrainian and international defense companies and startups.
Brave1 Defense Tech Valley is more than just an investment platform. It will reflect modern warfare doctrine: highly technological, asymmetric, adaptive, and driven by unmanned systems and artificial intelligence. Ukraine, where groundbreaking technologies are being developed and field-tested daily, is fast becoming a leading producer of security innovations for the entire free world. This summit offers a rare opportunity to invest in battlefield-proven solutions already shaping global security's future.
“Ukrainian defense innovations have permanently changed the doctrine of warfare. The world is witnessing how low-cost, high-impact technologies can deliver devastating blows to the enemy, destroying billions of dollars’ worth of equipment. Investing in Ukrainian defense tech today is no longer just about supporting a nation under attack; it’s also a chance to access innovations that will shape the future of military technology for decades to come. Defense Tech Valley 2025 will be the largest summit of its kind — uniting investors ready to fund Ukrainian defense breakthroughs with developers whose solutions are already changing the course of the war and seeking support for R&D and scaling,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development, and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.
In addition, the application process is now open for the Battle Proven competition for defense and dual-use startups, which will take place as part of Defense Tech Valley. Ukrainian developers with technologies already deployed at the front, or plans to roll them out within a year, are eligible to apply.
The competition will take place across three categories:
- Trail Blazers — for pre-seed teams with promising solutions
- Gamechangers — for those already operating on the front lines
- Power Players — for major teams shaping the outcome of the war every day
Following the selection process, 30 teams will present their solutions to the largest network of defense tech investors and compete for a prize fund.
