Good afternoon and Happy New Year from the team at Resilience Media
War didn’t stop over the holiday period, with Russia increasing its attack on the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, and using its ‘shadow fleet’ to sabotage undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. All of this activity informed how we see the year ahead, and how Resilience Media and Conference will be addressing this. We’ve published a piece on the year ahead here.
We’re also pleased to be a media partner for the Brave1 Defense Innovations Forum, being held in Kyiv in February. There’s still time to apply for the DarkStar Defence Hackathon in Tallinn as well as the European Defence Tech Hackathon in Munich. More in the industry events section below.
-Leslie, co-founder, Resilience Media
An arms race, protecting ourselves from hybrid warfare and disinformation, focusing on manufacturing; we’re sharing the Resilience Media view on the 2025 defence and security landscape. Over the course of this year, we will be shining a light on the people addressing these problems, raising the profile of the newcomers stepping up to protect our democracies as well as talking to established leaders. We will examine the intersection of innovation, technology, investment, policy, and strategy; whilst this is mainly about defence and security, we broaden out into resilience because warfare is no longer restricted to the battlefield.
Did we miss anything? Let us know your thoughts.
The Brave1 Defence Tech Innovation Forum 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.
DarkStar Defence Hackathon: Estonia, 24-26 January 2025. This is a unique opportunity to work alongside specialist military units from the front line in Ukraine, along with some of Europe’s leading defence tech investors and experts. Over 100 participants have already applied. More details 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.
Did you download your digital copy of Arun Gupta’s book Venture Meets Mission? As we enter 2025, it is more timely than ever.
Venture Meets Mission argues that if Business, Government, and Society come together, rebuild trust, and collaborate, we have a generational opportunity to address societal challenges―climate change, cybersecurity, disease outbreaks, food insecurity and education. The book explains, with hope and passion, how our existing entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the ideals of democracy, can be the foundation for a new mission-driven capitalism.
Get your copy here.
Disinformation
As AI-fueled disinformation explodes, here comes the startup counterattack
‘Nobody was tricked into voting for Trump’: Why the disinformation panic is over
Dual-use
Dual-Use Is a Strategy, Not a Category (Nor a Trap)
Government
The Crumbling Foundations of America’s Military
Palantir and Anduril join forces with tech groups to bid for Pentagon contracts
Unconventional Russian attack could cause ‘substantial’ casualties, top NATO official warns
CTO at NCSC Summary: week ending December 29th
Startups
What’s in store for Europe’s growing defence tech sector in 2025?
Venture Capital
Rethinking Defense: The Role of Private Capital
Why I Launched a Resilience Fund of Funds: A Collective Mission to Strengthen Europe’s Future
