Angel One Fund has invested in six Ukrainian defense and dual-use technology startups within six months under syndicated agreements. The average investment ticket ranges between $50,000 and $300,000.
According to Ivan Petrenko, managing partner of Angel One, the fund cannot invest directly in defense technology startups due to internal policies, so it acts as an intermediary between private investors who are looking for and want to invest in Ukrainian defense technology and such startups.
The fund’s team searches and evaluates startups, communicates with potentially interested investors, and continues to support these startups after agreements are signed, Petrenko said.
He also added that Angel One Fund recently raised a new round of investments in the amount of $1 million. The collected amount was put to investment from the start of June 2024. As before, the fund will act as a generalist fund, looking for Ukrainian startups in the pre-seed and seed stages from all industries.
Startups that have received investments include Swarmer, Mantis Analytics, and Buntar Aerospace.
- Swarmer transforms drone swarm operations, making them more efficient and effective. Swarmer revolutionizes the use of drones through AI-based technologies, including swarm management software, a combat mission control center, and AI co-pilot technology. Swarmer’s vision is to create a system that enables humans to autonomously operate swarms of drones, supporting military operations while minimizing human risk in the most challenging environments. The startup was founded in May 2023 by Serhiy Kuprienko and Alex Fink.
- Mantis Analytics helps organizations identify real-time risks and drive growth with AI. The AI platform provides situational awareness of corporate assets, ensuring their protection and rapid response to crises. The founding team consists of CEO Maksym Tereshchenko, technical director and ML and big data expert Ostap Vykhopnyi, and industry expert Anton Tarasiuk.
- Buntar Aerospace is a Ukrainian defense startup that develops the Buntar One reconnaissance air defense system and Buntar Copilot — software for planning and execution of reconnaissance missions. Founded in August 2023 by Ivan Kaunov, Kateryna Bezsudna, and Bohdan Sas. The team focused on the problem of damage and loss of UAVs during reconnaissance missions and developed a complex solution that includes separate software and hardware products.