Nico Woods’ Post

Everyone's wrong about Ukraine's defense industry. While America debates, Europe's locking up tomorrow's capabilities. I just got back from Tech Force in UA's forum in Lviv and what I saw changed everything. Ukrainian startups are building weapons faster than Lockheed Martin, and this is not hyperbole. They push 16 product iterations while traditional, large defense prime contractors deliberate whether the time is suitable to enter Ukraine. Let’s look at the numbers:  ❗ €4 billion projected revenue (218% growth) 🏭 75% of companies didn't exist before 2022 ⏱️ 3 months to operational production (vs. 3-5 years in the West) Here's what floored me: These founders collect battlefield feedback DAILY. Their reality is that the customer dies if the product fails. No procurement officers. No PowerPoints. Just brutal, immediate truth. Teams of twenty-somethings outpacing billion-dollar R&D departments. They've replaced our entire development cycle with WhatsApp messages at the warfront. Meanwhile, Western defense contractors are still arguing about requirement documents. And to make it worse, export restrictions keep 55% of the Ukrainian defense company’s capacity idle. Self-imposed export restrictions are literally preventing innovation that could save allied lives because of bureaucracy. Denmark gets it. The UK gets it. Germany gets it. They all had booths soliciting for partnerships. My prediction: In 5 years, you'll either partner with Ukrainian defense tech or compete against someone who did. The future of defense isn't in Arlington boardrooms. It's in Ukrainian workshops. Agree or disagree? #Defense #Ukraine #Innovation #Technology #Future #TFUA