European defence startups now have a structured and legally compliant route to Ukraine for battlefield testing and direct front-line user feedback
17Tech.fi and Ukrainian defence innovation partners provide European startups with formal access to real combat testing environments, accelerating development cycles and strengthening NATO–Ukraine interoperability.
Finland — Ukraine December 1, 2025
European defence startups have long faced challenges in accessing realistic operational environments where new technologies can be tested and validated with end users. 17Tech.fi is now opening a structured, and legally compliant pathway to Ukraine’s battlefield testing ecosystem, enabling innovators to gather direct insights from active front-line units and iterate mission-critical solutions faster than traditional procurement processes allow.
Through structured collaboration with Ukrainian defence innovation bodies, including Defence Builder, 17Tech.fi provides a framework for controlled field testing, pilot deployments, and systematic front-line feedback. The approach significantly shortens development time, improves product relevance, and supports the alignment of European capabilities with urgent Ukrainian operational needs.
17Tech’s team brings extensive experience from defence industry knowledge and startup innovations and accelerations globally. The team has designed and operated accelerators in Europe and Asia, financed hundreds of early-stage companies, and supported defence forces in multiple countries in building new innovation models and technology evaluation frameworks.
Comment from 17Tech Founding Partner Sami Luukkonen
Sami Luukkonen, Founding Partner at 17Tech and former Global Head of Defence, Aerospace & High Tech at the world’s largest consulting firm, emphasises the importance of structured access:
“For years, European innovators have lacked a safe, legal, and operationally relevant environment to validate defence technologies. Ukraine offers a uniquely demanding testbed, and our role is to create a professional, transparent, and responsible pathway for companies to work with official defence counterparts. This is not about speed alone – it is about ensuring that the right technologies reach the right users with real data behind them.”
Perspective of an experienced accelerator manager
Antti Kosunen, an experienced accelerator manager and co-founder of 17Tech, emphasises the importance of operating at the intersection of defence innovation, startup financing, and rapid deployment cycles:
“Over the past decade, I’ve seen hundreds of startups succeed or fail depending on how quickly they gain access to real users and real operational environments. Nowhere is this more critical than in defence technology. Ukraine provides an unmatched opportunity for structured, responsible, and data-driven testing that simply cannot be replicated in simulators or domestic training grounds. Our role is to ensure that companies enter this environment with the right preparation, the right partners, and a clear framework that benefits both innovators and front-line users.
This accelerator is, in my view, the most effective way for defence startups to find real product–market fit. In defence, true demand is defined by the battlefield—not by presentations, prototypes, or theoretical use cases. When companies receive direct feedback from units operating under real combat conditions, they quickly learn what works, what fails, and what must be improved. That level of validation shortens development cycles by months or even years and prevents teams from investing in the wrong features. Nothing brings a product to market readiness faster than exposure to actual operational needs.”
Application Pathway for Startups
Defence startups in Europe and allied countries can now apply for inclusion in the 17Tech Defence Tech Accelerator till December 15th, 2025. Selected companies will gain access to structured testing programs, front-line feedback loops, and opportunities to deploy prototypes in controlled operational scenarios in Ukraine as well as business support and access to several defence forces.
Startups interested in participating can apply at:
https://www.f6s.com/17tech-defense-tech-accelerator-2526
17Tech Oy, Helsinki, Finland 17tech.fi
Sami Luukkonen, sami@17tech.fi +358 400 464 669
Antti Kosunen, antti@17tech.fi +358 400 850 200
17TECH OY is a defence technology accelerator and a venture capital firm.
17Tech runs structured programs to help early- to mid-stage startups grow rapidly by providing investment, mentorship, workspace, and connections to investors, future users and a peer network in the defense industry. 17Tech provides up-to date knowledge for the situation and technolgies used on real battlefields in Ukraine.
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