17/01/2026
💡 What does it mean to be a VC in Kyiv today?
In a compelling new interview with Resilience Media, our Principal Sasha Yatsenko 🇺🇦 shares firsthand what life and investing look like on the ground in Ukraine — from unexpected blackouts in Kyiv to the under-invested defence tech ecosystem right in the middle of a real conflict.
Despite war-driven challenges:
🔹 Innovation is happening now — from autonomy to aerospace and cybersecurity.
🔹 But defence tech funding remains tiny relative to opportunity, with only ~$100M invested in 2025 and a handful of active VCs.
🔹 This gap is not just a hurdle — it’s a chance for early believers to support tomorrow’s unicorns.
🔹 Western investors must show up, physically and financially, to unlock real deal flow.
Sasha’s view from Kyiv isn’t abstract — it’s shaped by the realities (and resilience) of building companies where war is not a backdrop but the context for innovation.
A must-read on why Ukraine’s tech and defence ecosystem deserves serious attention now:
👉 https://resiliencemedia.co/power-outages-and-small-checks-the-perils-of-being-a-vc-in-kyiv/
When I called Sasha Yatsenko, the power had just cut out. No sirens, no warning, just a few minutes of
