Ukraine's former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has launched a new defense-technology company, with Palantir CEO Alex Karp as its first investor.
Ukraine's former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced on September 1 that he is launching his own defense-technology company. Its first and lead investor is Alex Karp, co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies, the US data-analytics firm whose software has been used by several Ukrainian government agencies for years to process battlefield information. Volunteers Support Ukraine follows these developments closely, since the tools Ukraine's tech sector builds have a direct bearing on how effectively the country can protect civilians.
Fedorov named three focus areas for the new venture: battlefield robotics, low-cost AI-guided missiles, and jet-powered interceptor drones. He said the goal is to turn Ukraine's wartime experience into technology that strengthens the country's own defenses while also being useful to allied nations.
Karp, who was among the first executives of a major Western tech company to visit Kyiv back in 2022, called the new project "inspiring" and said it would be "defining for the world." Palantir already works with more than half a dozen Ukrainian government bodies, and its joint Brave1 Dataroom platform with the defense ministry lets Ukrainian developers train AI models on real combat data.
Fedorov led the Defense Ministry for roughly five months before President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him in July 2026 following disagreements with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi over the country's military direction. His removal triggered unusual wartime protests demanding his reinstatement, though the movement's momentum later faded.
Even before the formal announcement, Fedorov had said Karp approached him with a proposal for a joint project; the two met in late August at Palantir's Washington office to discuss the venture. Fedorov stressed that Ukraine remains his top priority even as the new company takes on an international dimension.
Fedorov's story shows how a political setback can still open new ways to strengthen a country's defenses, this time by drawing in international capital and confidence. Volunteers Support Ukraine (NGO Volunteers Support Ukraine) continues helping people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow, and sees this kind of innovation and international backing as part of what keeps Ukraine resilient.
