Ukraine’s Swarmer raises $15 million Series A, largest defence tech funding since start of the war

The company is known for software that allows groups of drones to execute missions autonomously, translating human objectives into coordinated action. “Our software has proven itself in live combat across tens of thousands of missions,” said Serhii Kupriienko, Founder and CEO of Swarmer.

Kupriienko explained that the fresh capital will enable the firm to expand its operations and make advanced swarming capabilities available to both Ukraine and NATO partners. “This funding enables us to scale our operations and offer advanced swarming capabilities to every unmanned vehicle, in Ukraine and across NATO-aligned nations. Western democracies should be able to deploy as many drones and robots as they can produce—without being constrained by the number of trained pilots.”

Ukraine has become a centre for drone warfare innovation, with the defence sector accelerating in scale and agility under the pressure of the conflict. In 2025, the country is projected to deploy nearly five million drones into active combat, a scale that is driving rapid technological development and adoption.

Government officials underscored the broader significance of the deal for Ukraine’s tech ecosystem and defence sector. “I hope the case of Swarmer, a participant of the Brave1 cluster, becomes a signal to other investors and a driver for putting more of Ukraine’s most effective technologies into the hands of our defenders,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, the First Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

Fedorov highlighted international backing as crucial to Ukraine’s innovation drive. “Ukrainian developers are creating solutions that have no analogues and are transforming the battlefield itself. The fact that American investors are investing in our technologies shows that the world not only believes in Ukraine’s potential but is ready to help us bring these battle-proven innovations to the frontline at scale. We are glad to see it working—and together with Brave1, we are excited to help Swarmer empower more drones to save more human lives,” he added. “After all, every investment in Ukrainian defense tech is a commitment to the future of global security.”

Swarmer’s system is trained on data from over 82,000 of its own missions and millions more conducted by others, replicating top-pilot performance and making tactical decisions in real time. “Swarmer’s rapid pace of innovation is driven by real-world battlefield experience, enabling them to iterate and refine their AI and autonomy systems faster than traditional defense companies,” said Michael Rapp, Managing Member of Broadband Capital Investments. “As drone production proliferates globally, Swarmer’s hardware-agnostic approach positions it to become the best-in-class software layer powering the next generation of autonomous systems.”

The company’s software-only solution is compatible across different hardware platforms and designed to keep humans in control of life-or-death decisions. Its technology has already demonstrated swarms of 25 drones in GNSS-denied environments, with upcoming plans to showcase operations involving over 100 drones across air, land, and sea platforms.

While the company remains focused on defence, Swarmer’s autonomy platform is also adaptable for civilian uses, ranging from precision agriculture and emergency response to infrastructure monitoring and environmental protection.