Ukraine’s ousted pro-tech defense minister is launching a new company backed by Palantir’s Alex Karp
Danylo Antoniuk/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images; Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images
- Mykhailo Fedorov is launching a defense tech startup after his ouster this summer.
- Palantir CEO Alex Karp will be the new company’s first lead investor.
- Fedorov says the company will turn Ukraine’s wartime tech lessons into new capabilities.
Mykhailo Fedorov, who helped drive rapid innovation in battlefield technology, particularly drones, before being ousted as Ukraine’s defense minister this summer, is launching a defense tech company.
The new company will focus on developing defense technologies intended to strengthen Ukraine and support partners, Fedorov said in a release, promising “more details to come.”
While much remains unclear about what the company will do, its first lead investor will be Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir, an American AI, data, and operational intelligence company.
In a statement, Fedorov said Ukraine would be the company’s priority.
“During the full-scale war, our team gained unique experience working with defense technologies in Ukraine and seeing firsthand how technology is transforming modern warfare,” he said. Now, he and his team intend to leverage that in a new venture.
In a video made with Fedorov at Palantir’s Washington office, Karp said of Fedorov and his team that “you and your colleagues are launching a company that I think will be defining for the world, bringing your knowledge and acumen about the art of war.”
Before becoming defense minister in January, Fedorov served as minister for digital transformation, a role in which he was celebrated for a Silicon Valley-style approach to delivering major changes intended to better prepare Ukraine for an evolving fight.
His time in Ukraine’s defense ministry coincided with tech-driven successes in combat, including a mid-range drone strike campaign that has devastated Russian logistics and the expansion of its deep-strike campaign targeting Russia’s military and industry.
Fedorov’s sudden departure in July, six months into the job, came as a shock to Ukrainian service members and industry figures alike. His push for radical changes within the armed forces, he said at the time, created significant friction with senior military leaders.
After his dismissal, Fedorov spoke critically about Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Kyiv’s commander in chief at the time, accusing him of blocking every initiative he and his team put forward, creating a rift. “Instead of figuring out how to defeat Russia asymmetrically, he figured out how to split the country,” he said of Syrskyi.
In public statements following Fedorov’s departure, Syrskyi thanked him for his work and said he hoped that he would see “continued success as part of the Ukrainian team.”
Ukraine replaced Fedorov with Yevhenii Khmara, and later, it replaced Syrskyi with Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, whom Ukrainian troops rallied around as a strong choice for the role.