Welcome to the one of the UVCA signature events! Co-organised by ua.ventures and our association, the newly established meeting brought together up to 80 investors, founders, ecosystem builders and public-sector stakeholders from Ukraine, Germany and across the DACH region in Berlin.
Key Takeaways
Ukraine is moving from resilience to execution. Public programmes, private capital and industrial partnerships are increasingly entering the deployment phase across infrastructure, energy, GovTech and dual-use technologies.
Defence, resilience and impact are converging. A recurring investor question was how Ukrainian companies can scale beyond wartime demand. Many founders are addressing this challenge by developing solutions with applications spanning critical infrastructure, civil protection, energy security, and workforce resilience — creating market opportunities that remain relevant well beyond the current environment.
GovTech cooperation is gaining momentum. The German–Ukrainian strategic partnership is creating new opportunities for collaboration in digital infrastructure, GovTech and AI.
Innovation adoption differs significantly by sector. While resilience, security and defence are increasingly open to startups and new technologies, GovTech in Germany remains constrained by procurement structures, incumbent suppliers and institutional barriers.
German and European investors interested in Ukraine do not need to start from scratch. Ukraine already has experienced founders, investors, venture funds and support structures in place. A recurring message from Ukrainian investors was that partnering with local market participants is often a more effective entry point than attempting to navigate the market alone.
Defence, Resilience & Impact Are Converging
One striking observation is how closely defence, resilience and impact themes are beginning to overlap. Many technologies and business models no longer fit neatly into traditional categories.
A good example was presented during an impulse contribution by Maksym Riznychenko, Chief Growth Officer of ECOFACTOR, Ukraine's leading EV mobility provider. In his keynote contribution, Maksym highlighted how the company's charging and energy infrastructure supports not only commercial mobility services but also broader resilience objectives. At the same time, ECOFACTOR is opening new investment opportunities both in Ukraine and through its ongoing expansion in Ukraine and globally.
Similar patterns can be observed across sectors, including social entrepreneurship, workforce development and training, where resilience is increasingly becoming a market segment in its own right.
This shift is also becoming visible within the investment community. Several DACH participants noted that impact investing is increasingly understood as context-dependent. In a European security environment shaped by war and geopolitical uncertainty, resilience, civil protection and defence capabilities are increasingly viewed as contributing to societal impact. Reflecting this trend, Benjamin Wilkening of earlybird highlighted the launch of the new €500 million European Dual-Use & Defence Fund (E2D) by AVP and earlybird on the very day of the event.
A recurring question among investors was what happens after the war. Many companies are currently benefiting from demand driven by defence requirements, reconstruction efforts, international support programmes and public procurement. How sustainable are these business models once these conditions change?
One answer may lie in the growing convergence of defence, resilience and critical infrastructure. Solutions developed under wartime conditions are increasingly addressing challenges that extend far beyond Ukraine, including energy security, civil protection, workforce development and infrastructure resilience across Europe.
The €90bn EU support package, combined with the German–Ukrainian strategic partnership, is accelerating capital deployment across many of these sectors. Realising this potential, however, will require stronger engagement not only from investors but also from established German and European industries and technology partners. This creates opportunities not only for resilience today, but also for long-term economic growth and European market integration in the future.
GovTech: The Next Chapter in Ukrainian-German Cooperation
The recent German–Ukrainian strategic partnership has placed digital infrastructure, GovTech, and AI much higher on the bilateral agenda. As programmes move into implementation, opportunities for cooperation between Ukrainian and German companies, investors and public institutions are becoming more tangible.
One observation repeatedly highlighted during discussions was the remarkable speed at which Ukraine has developed and scaled digital public services over recent years. At the same time, participants pointed to an interesting contrast. While established actors in Germany appear increasingly willing to engage with startups and new technologies in areas such as resilience, security and defence, the GovTech environment remains more difficult due to procurement structures, incumbent suppliers and institutional gatekeepers.
New entrants in particular often face a structural disadvantage. Without an established public-sector track record, innovative companies frequently struggle to compete with larger incumbent providers, even when new technologies or approaches offer significant advantages. As a result, innovation in GovTech is often constrained not by technology, but by procurement and adoption processes.
This creates a particularly interesting opportunity for Ukrainian-German cooperation. Ukrainian companies bring practical experience and proven solutions. Germany brings market demand and institutional capacity.
A practical example was provided in an impromptu contribution by Oleksandr Iefremov, CEO of Kitsoft, who outlined how the company's AI-powered low-code platform, Liquio, serves as the technological foundation for Ukraine's Diia ecosystem. He highlighted the potential for Ukrainian GovTech solutions and implementation experience to contribute to digital transformation efforts in Germany and across the European Union.
Investing in Ukraine: From Interest to Execution
A recurring theme throughout the event was the gap between investor interest and actual investment activity.
A central objective of UADEVC was to connect Ukrainian and European investors and facilitate potential co-investment discussions. While many of these conversations remain confidential, the level of engagement demonstrated a strong interest in further investment cooperation.
Most participants agreed that awareness of Ukraine's technology sector has increased significantly since 2022. However, turning interest into transactions still requires trusted relationships, local market access, practical structuring knowledge and reliable co-investment partners.
Another perspective was provided in an impulse contribution by Alexander Tebbe, founder of Crowd Ukraine Invest AG, who presented an EU-regulated investment platform focused on Ukraine's economic recovery. His example illustrated how new investment vehicles are emerging to channel European private and institutional capital into reconstruction, housing and urban development projects, supported by partnerships with Ukrainian municipalities and public investment support mechanisms.
A recurring message from Ukrainian investors was straightforward: there is no need to build new structures from scratch. Local founders, investors and networks already exist. The challenge is not creating another ecosystem, but connecting existing ones.
Several participants observed that investor activity in Ukraine appears to be progressing faster in parts of Central and Eastern Europe than in Germany. While awareness and interest have grown considerably, many German investors are still evaluating opportunities and building market familiarity.
Looking Ahead
One of the clearest takeaways from UADEVC 2026 was that the conversation around Ukraine is changing.
The focus is gradually shifting from emergency response and reconstruction planning towards implementation, investment and long-term economic development. Public capital is beginning to be deployed, industrial partnerships are emerging, and new opportunities are taking shape across technology, infrastructure, resilience, and dual-use innovation.
For investors, founders and technology companies, the question is increasingly no longer whether opportunities exist, but how to participate in them effectively.
UADEVC 2026 provided a platform for advancing that discussion. The strong engagement throughout the day suggests there is substantial interest in continuing the conversation and further strengthening the investment corridor between Germany and Ukraine.
About UADEVC
UADEVC – Ukrainian–German Venture & Tech Deal Access is a focused investment and market access event connecting investors, founders, corporates and ecosystem stakeholders from Ukraine and the DACH region.
The initiative is jointly organised by ua.ventures and the UVCA and supported by partners including Business Angels Club Berlin-Brandenburg (BACB), Network.VC, Gigahertz Ventures and Berlin Partner for Business and Technology.
Part of the 2026 programme also included the Network.VC Defense Demo Day, hosted and organised by Network.VC Defense and featuring selected Ukrainian defence startups and scaleups.
UADEVC aims to strengthen practical cooperation, investment activity and market access between the Ukrainian and DACH tech investment communities.
The event was hosted by FreiFläche Studios Berlin, whose team provided outstanding support and hospitality throughout.
