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During the Russian invasion that began in 2022, Ukraine has become a testing ground for new military technologies. While modern weapons supplied by Ukraine’s international partners have played a crucial role in the country’s battlefield victories, Ukrainians have been particularly innovative in adapting new technologies to the unique circumstances of the Russian invasion. Drones and satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and situational awareness tools have all been used to create a strategic advantage for Ukraine in the ongoing war.
The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation (USUF) will host an online webinar on July 11, 2023 at 10 AM EDT to discuss this important topic. The webinar is produced by Mike Buryk (USUF advisor and digital media expert) and moderated by the Ukrainian entrepreneur Denys Gurak (CEO of the company A.D.A.M.). Presenters include Natalia Kushnerska, COO of Ukraine's defense tech cluster Brave1, Vital Laptenok, General Partner at Flyer One Ventures and Valerii Iakovenko, founder of DroneUA.
Mike Buryk is a 45-year veteran of the publishing and advertising industries in the U.S.
He has worked for major companies like The New York Times and McGraw-Hill, but also spent a number of years developing both print and online advertising products for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Starting in 2017, Mike has focused exclusively on Ukraine — its economy, technology and developments in civil society. He produces two podcasts. “Made in Ukraine Tech Startup Edition” which covers Ukrainian tech startups and the tech ecosystem. “Krynytsya (the Well)” profiles prominent Ukrainians and their valuable contributions to their country. Beginning in March of 2022, Mike has produced twice monthly Krynytsya episodes for The Ukrainian Weekly that cover the war and topics related to it.
Since 2008, Mike has worked with the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation in several areas. Most recently, he helped the Foundation develop and market two online conferences on the topic of economic development and technology innovation. He also produced four webcasts on the topic of Ukrainian technology innovation that are available on YouTube. Mike continues to produce webinars for the Foundation and is the coordinator for the Reimagining Recovery, Rebuilding and Reconstruction Ukraine Task Force.
Denys Gurak is an experienced C-level manager and serial entrepreneur. He is a CEO and Co-Founder at A.D.A.M., a 3d bioprinting company with a primary focus on 3D-printed bones. Denys’s ultimate vision is to build an on-demand personalized tissue manufacturing platform that would be a one-stop shop for transplanted tissues and organs; and, hence, to cut barriers to medical treatment for millions.
Denys's passion for biotech can be traced back to 2010, when he was leading the international relations and certification, along with EU legislation adaptation at the Ukrainian medicinal products regulatory authority (official position - director of the «GMP/GDP Center» of the State Administration of Ukraine on Medicinal Products (SAUMP).
In 2014 Denys joined the Ukrainian Defense Industry (a state defense conglomerate) in 2014 as the Deputy Director-General for foreign economic activity. During his time at the company, he managed the export-import operations that amounted to USD 1 billion yearly turnover. Furthermore, Denys represented Ukraine as the Head of Ukraine’s delegation to the NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG), and led the industry transformation initiatives, including innovations development and technology JVs, as well international relations.
Denys is a Venture Partner at ff Venture Capital a high-performing early stage venture firm based in NYC and Warsaw, Poland, focusing on disruptive IT, biotechnology, aerospace and security projects in CEE region.
His passion for strategic modeling and technological disruption, as well as his outstanding networking skills and analytical mindset define Denys's active role in expert society. Besides business matters, Denys is the key member in a number of think tanks and NGOs.
Natalia Kushnerska, is an experienced business leader and project management professional.
For 15 years, Nataliia has been the General manager at the event agency Diplomat Service, leading more than 50 projects in Ukraine and abroad. Nataliia also has experience working with government institutions. She has been an advisor to the First Deputy Minister of Economy. Since early 2023, as Chief Operations Officer at the Ukrainian defense tech cluster Brave1, Nataliia has been responsible for cooperation with government institutions, enterprises, developers, funds, startups, and Ukrainian defense tech representatives.
With Brave1 officially launched on April 26th, 2023, Nataliia and her team unite the defense tech ecosystem, scale it up, and push it forward to bring the victory closer through tech innovations.
Valerii Iakovenko is a cofounder and the CEO of DroneUA since 2013. A medical doctor by background and private entrepreneur since 2008, he has significant corporate experience in various spheres including Insurance, Banking and Investment, as well as Marketing and Digital Communications. DroneUA is a long-term reliable partner to the many industrial users across Ukraine in spheres of agriculture, energy, oil and gas, surveying, industrial inspections and more.
Drones are playing a key role in the defense of Ukraine in the war with Russia. Valerii Iakovenko, a cofounder and the CEO of the Ukrainian tech firm DroneUA, points out that his company's primary mission is to provide drones for agriculture. However, it had to pivot to assist Ukraine's military during the Russo-Ukraine war with drones for air reconnaissance, directing weapons fire and conducting search and rescue operations.
Vital Laptenok is founder and serves as General Partner at Flyer One Ventures. He established Flyer One Ventures in November 2018 as an international venture capital company that focuses on startups from the CEE region. He has more than 15 years of professional and entrepreneurial experience and a Belarusian State University Degree in Economics. In 2015 he led Genesis Media, one of the biggest media companies in the world, which launched and operated various kinds of online businesses. In 2017, he cofounded the Ukrainian startup BetterMe and also serves as its chief product officer. The company is the fastest growing health and fitness app in the world.