$5 million from former British minister. British-Ukrainian Defense Tech startup Trypillian, founded by former military personnel, attracts investment
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British-Ukrainian Defense Tech startup Trypillian has raised $5 million in investment from former UK Secretary of State Brooks Newmark, who is also the company’s chairman. The founders include a former Ukrainian serviceman who fought in the battles for Bakhmut and Soledar. The startup is developing autonomous deep-attack combat systems.
Trypillian
Trypillian was founded in 2024 by Ukrainian and British veterans and military experts. The startup develops combat technologies tested in real war conditions, including deep strike systems and combat communications, as well as other autonomous technologies that reduce risks to personnel and enhance combat effectiveness on the front line.
The startup has offices in London and Kyiv. It is led by co-founder and CEO Ivan Matveichenko, a former military officer who participated in the battles for Bakhmut and Soledar in 2022-2023, and worked at IBM from 2012 to 2017.
The startup’s LinkedIn page, in addition to Ivan Matveichenko, also lists Ukrainian Olegh Bondarenko, who holds the position of Project Manager. He is also a former military man, volunteer, doctor of science, has experience in research and management positions. Since 2017, he has been working at the Kyiv Aviation Institute (formerly NAU) and is the head of the project office.
Robert Seely, an experienced strategist, military officer, and former member of the British parliament, is listed as the head of the strategy department. Last summer, he released a book, «The New Summary,» which describes how Russia is fighting not only against Ukraine, but also against the West.
«Most of us have seen war with our own eyes. That’s why we have come together to create technologies that protect Ukraine and save lives,» noted Ivan Matveichenko.
About the investor
Brooks Newmark is a businessman, business angel, philanthropist, former politician and social reform activist. He served in the House of Commons for over 10 years, where he was the Member of Parliament for Braintree (2005-2015) and served as Minister for Civil Society in the Coalition Government. Prior to that, he was a senior partner at Apollo Global Management.
Brooks is currently chairman of Trypillian and chairman of Aremca, a British-Kazakh mining company that produces rare earths and critical minerals.
In 2022, Brooks co-founded the organization «Angels for Ukraine», which focused on evacuating women and children from the war zone (over 32,000 during 2022-2023), medical evacuation of wounded civilians and soldiers, and delivery of humanitarian aid to deoccupied villages in Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donbas regions.
