{"id":26210,"date":"2025-09-16T18:12:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T15:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scroll.media\/2025\/09\/16\/swarmer-15m-interview\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T00:14:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T21:14:20","slug":"swarmer-15m-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scroll.media\/en\/2025\/09\/16\/swarmer-15m-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Swarmer Raises $15 Million. We Spoke to the Company\u2019s Co-Founder About It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ukrainian startup Swarmer, which builds AI systems for managing drone swarms, has closed a $15 million round, the largest publicly announced raise in a Ukrainian defense-tech project so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scroll.media spoke with the company\u2019s co-founder and CEO, Serhii Kupriienko, about the new investment, plans for the money, and how Swarmer\u2019s tech could be useful beyond the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Serhii Kupriienko. Photo credit: Swarmer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A new big round \u2014 congratulations. Interestingly, you also announced<\/a> the last one on September 16, 2024 \u2014 exactly a year ago.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We joked about it internally. It wasn\u2019t planned. Pure coincidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When did you start preparing the new deal? How long did it take?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The process started in spring 2025, although back then we hadn\u2019t decided on the format. We could have done a quick bridge round and closed in May, or we could prepare for a full Series A.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round A would be larger but also brings more obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After weighing the options, we went for a full Series A. The active preparation phase was in summer 2025, so you could say we closed it in a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your lead investor is Broadband Capital Investments, a new name in Ukrainian defense tech. How did you get them involved \u2014 who approached whom?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t disclose details at this stage. Maybe later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another regular investor is D3. Do you communicate with Eric Schmidt?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t share details on that due to the topic\u2019s sensitivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What will the funds be used for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In short, we want to get our system into the hands of defenders faster and at scale. That means rapid integration and delivering devices to military users so they can operate them. Ukraine\u2019s victory is our top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A second track is expanding our international presence. We\u2019ve been traveling a lot \u2014 Japan, the UK, defense-tech shows across Europe, and the US. I can\u2019t go into specifics yet, but building a global footprint is important to us, and the new investment helps enable that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many drones can the system combine today?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a very sensitive question \u2014 we can\u2019t answer it without approval from the General Staff. I can only say it\u2019s more than anyone might expect. Otherwise, refer to the Wall Street Journal piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Editor\u2019s note: A recent WSJ article<\/a> reports that Swarmer combines up to eight drones into a single swarm \u2014 not a test, but a real combat application used on the front line in operational conditions.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s finish with the civilian side: Swarmer positions itself as a dual-use company. How\u2019s that going?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We believe in victory, so defense is our main focus, but it\u2019s not the only thing we work on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The civilian side is already being tested in two areas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n