Ukrainian swarm drone AI startup secures $15 million in record defense investment
Ukrainian startup Swarmer, which develops artificial intelligence for managing swarms of drones, has raised $15 million in funding, the company announced on Sept. 16.
The sum represents the single-largest investment in a Ukrainian defense company since the start of Russia's full-scale war in 2022.
The company's software allows a single operator to coordinate multiple drones, limiting human involvement to selecting targets and authorizing strikes.
"This funding enables us to scale our operations and offer advanced swarming capabilities to every unmanned vehicle, in Ukraine and across NATO-aligned nations," Swarmer CEO Serhii Kupriienko said.
"Our software has proven itself in live combat across tens of thousands of missions."
The investment round includes U.S. firms Broadband Capital Investments, R-G.AI, D3 Ventures, Green Flag Ventures, Radius Capital, and Network VC.
Deputy Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukrainian innovations "have become game changers on the battlefield and have forever changed the perception of modern technological warfare."
Swarmer is part of Ukraine's Brave1 defense innovation cluster, developing modern warfare technology.
The announcement comes a day after Fedorov reported that Brave1 completed the final stage of testing for new kamikaze drones built to withstand Russian electronic warfare systems.
Ukraine has rapidly scaled up its drone program since 2022. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in June that Ukraine could produce up to 8 million drones annually but lacks the funding to reach that target, urging allies to invest in joint production.
Russia has simultaneously expanded drone development. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to establish a separate branch of the Armed Forces dedicated to unmanned systems.
