D3 VC
Early-stage venture fund focused on Ukrainian and allied defense technology (drones, EW, autonomy, sensors, AI); launched 2023 by Eveline Buchatskiy, Anton Verkhovodov, and Elya Chiechienieva, backed by investors including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Participated in Uforce's $50M seed round and Cambridge Aerospace's ~$130M raised to date.
D3 ("Dare to Defend Democracy") is a Kyiv-based early-stage venture fund launched in 2023 to back Ukrainian and allied defense-technology startups across drones, electronic warfare, autonomy, sensors, and AI. Founded by Eveline Buchatskiy, Anton Verkhovodov, and Elya Chiechienieva, the fund has scaled from an initial $10M to $30M+, backed in part by a $5M investment from Denmark's state investment fund EIFO in 2025. D3 typically writes $500K–$1.5M checks at pre-seed/seed and has backed 16 portfolio companies including UFORCE, Cambridge Aerospace, and Swarmer.
Overview
- Firm
- D3
- Headquarters
- Kyiv, Ukraine
- Founded
- 2023
- AUM
- $30M+
- Stages
- Pre-Seed, Seed
- Thesis
- Backing Ukrainian and allied defense-technology startups across drones, electronic warfare, autonomy, sensors, and AI.
- www.linkedin.com/company/d3vc
- Website
- d3.vc
Portfolio companies18
- CompanyUforceUkraine's first defense-tech unicorn — combat-proven unmanned systems and battlefield C2 software.
- CompanyCambridge AerospaceUK counter-drone startup building the Skyhammer interceptor family (range 30km+, top speed 700km/h) for drones and low-speed cruise missiles; UK Ministry of Defence agreed in April 2026 to buy hundreds of Skyhammer systems.
- CompanySwarmerUkrainian AI software platform for coordinated multi-drone swarm autonomy, now Nasdaq-listed.
- CompanyAgonLondon/Berlin-based defense AI startup building synthetic-battlefield infrastructure to train and validate autonomous weapon systems.
- CompanyAlbacorePhiladelphia-based, Y Combinator-backed startup building mass-producible autonomous underwater vehicles for maritime deterrence and ISR; raised a $6.5M seed round (Oct 2025) led by Outlander VC with D3 among the backers.
- CompanyChariot DefenseSan Francisco-area startup building tactical-edge power distribution systems (Amphora/Amphora 400) for drones, sensors, electronic warfare, and directed-energy systems on the modern battlefield; emerged from stealth in July 2025 with an $8M seed round led by General Catalyst and XYZ, D3 among the backers.
- CompanyStridarDenver, Colorado-based startup building modular unmanned ground vehicle platforms for humanitarian demining, tactical sensing, and payload delivery in high-attrition environments.
- CompanyAirlogixKyiv-based Ukrainian manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems, best known for its jam-resistant GOR reconnaissance drone; pivoted from civilian cargo drones to military ISR and strike systems after Russia's 2022 invasion.
- CompanyKela TechnologiesIsraeli defense-tech company building a secure, open platform for Western militaries to rapidly integrate commercial technologies into existing defense systems.
- CompanyGuardian RFWashington, D.C.-based, Y Combinator-backed startup building passive RF sensors (Scout, Scout-X, Full Spectrum) for drone detection and pilot geolocation; founded by three Georgetown physics students, raised ~$2.3M from General Catalyst, Space Capital, UA1, and Y Combinator, with D3 among its backers, and holds an AFWERX SBIR contract at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
- CompanyNerosVertically integrated FPV drone manufacturer for US and allied military forces.
- CompanyFrontline RoboticsKyiv-based maker of ground/aerial robotic combat systems for Ukraine's Defense Forces, expanding co-production to Germany with Quantum Systems.
- CompanyTYTAN TechnologiesGerman autonomous counter-UAS interceptor systems for air defense.
- CompanyBuntar AerospaceUkrainian ISR-drone maker building GPS-independent reconnaissance UAVs and AI mission-planning software for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- CompanyDrone Space LabsUkrainian full-cycle UAV and electronic-warfare manufacturer building FPV strike drones, ground control stations, signal repeaters, and mobile EW/counter-drone systems for the Ukrainian military.
- CompanyAiland SystemsUkrainian maker of autonomous demining and mine-detection drones; its Spiner UAV is the first quadcopter to receive NATO codification for ground-mine detection.
- CompanyZvookUkrainian maker of a passive acoustic sensor network — nicknamed "Sky Fortress" — that detects, classifies, and tracks low-flying cruise missiles, drones, and aircraft for Ukraine's integrated air-defense system.
- CompanyHIGHCATGerman UAV manufacturer building modular, jam-resistant reconnaissance drones — including a fiber-optic-controlled model — for the German Armed Forces and Ukraine's front line.
Partners0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What is D3 VC?
- Backing Ukrainian and allied defense-technology startups across drones, electronic warfare, autonomy, sensors, and AI.
- How much does D3 VC manage?
- D3 VC manages $30M+ in assets, and was founded in 2023.
- What stages does D3 VC invest at?
- D3 VC invests at Pre-Seed, Seed.
Sources & citations11
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Eric Schmidt is a backer/LP of D3, not a formal partner
AIN.ua: D3 military tech accelerator is to launch in Ukraine, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt is among the LPsVerified2023-05-11 - 2
D3 scaled from $10M to $30M+; $5M EIFO investment in 2025
EIFO: EIFO invests in the venture fund D3 to boost Ukrainian and European innovation in defenceVerified2025-07-04 - 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
D3 Fund, LP (D3 VC's Cayman Islands investing vehicle) is a Swarmer stockholder; Eveline Buchatskiy holds sole voting/dispositive power over its shares
U.S. SEC: Swarmer, Inc. Form 424B4Verified2026-03-17 - 7
Independent, pre-SEC-filing press report that Swarmer secured funding from D3
AIN.ua: Ukrainian Swarmer secures funding from D3Verified2023-11-16 - 8
D3's own portfolio page lists Agon ("the foundational AI infrastructure for the era of agentic warfare") among its 16+ portfolio companies; Agon's $7M pre-seed included D3 alongside Lakestar, 201 Ventures, and angels
D3: D3 PortfolioVerified2026-08-11 - 9
D3's portfolio includes Kela Technologies and Stridar, among 16+ startups, per independent reporting on D3's portfolio
The Defender: D3 comes out of the shadows: inside the fund's 16-startup portfolioReported2025-05-01 - 10
D3's portfolio includes Airlogix, a Kyiv-based UAV manufacturer, listed under D3's UAV category with the tagline 'Developer of innovative unmanned aerial systems.'
D3: D3 PortfolioVerified2026-08-11 - 11
D3's own portfolio page lists Neros Technologies among its 16+ portfolio companies, describing it as a 'multi-domain suite of smart mass manufacturable defense systems'
D3: D3 PortfolioVerified2026-08-11