Good afternoon from the team at Resilience Media
We’re thrilled to carry a very personal interview with Ukrainian founder Yaroslav Azhnyuk. Our co-founder, Dr Tobias Stone, has known him for over a decade as he moved from Ukraine to Silicon Valley and back, and then got involved in the defence of Ukraine by employing his tech expertise. This interview is longer than our usual work. We feel that Yaroslav and his insight into defence tech are so important that we wanted to share it all. More below.
Our mission-driven approach means we strongly believe in collaboration. Only by standing together can we defend our democracies, and that applies as much to the tech sector as any other. In that spirit, Resilience Media is working with the founders of the Munich Security Breakfast and the European Defense Tech Hackathon, supporting each other’s activities in Munich. More here.
This was a good news week for participants in our last conference, with Rowden, who sponsored our 2024 conference, and Overland AI, who pitched in our Launch program, both in the news. Check out the On Our Radar section below to read more.
-Leslie, co-founder, Resilience Media
Yaroslav Azhnyuk is a brilliant Ukrainian tech entrepreneur who was in the first team from his country to be accepted onto the prestigious Silicon Valley accelerator, Y Combinator. He is amongst a cohort of tech founders who have truly stepped up to confront the conflict facing their country, bringing their entrepreneurship, technical skills, and international networks to support the war effort in Ukraine. He shares fascinating insights into the development of drones, AI and autonomy, and the foreign CEOs moving to Kyiv. We were glad he found time to talk to us as he heads off this week to Davos to share his insights there.
In this interview, Yaroslav talks about the creation of ‘the iPhone for defence tech,’ and ‘the Uber for munition delivery,’ and the risk to the West if we don’t invest in defence technology. “If you want to keep peace, you have to be armed and prepared.”
Munich Security Breakfast: Munich, 13 February 2025. Our friends at the Munich Security Breakfast are hosting a networking event for startups and investors in defence and dual-use within the framework of the Munich Security Conference. Spaces are limited, startups can apply here.
European Defence Tech Hackathon: Join 150+ hackers from all across Europe and beyond for the third edition of the European Defence Tech Hackathon on February 13-16, 2025, in Munich. Apply to attend here.
Brave1 Defence Tech Innovation Forum: the event in Kyiv on February 18–19 arrives at a pivotal moment for Ukraine’s defence tech ecosystem. As the defence tech industry gains momentum, Brave1 has curated a platform that showcases the tech innovation developed by Ukrainians to defend their country, and brings together global stakeholders, from manufacturers and investors to government representatives and defence experts. More here.
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