Research
From Battlefield Validation to International Capital
Research question
Ukrainian companies reach battlefield validation fast — but that rarely turns into deals with international capital. We're finding out exactly where that chain breaks.
What helps or hinders Ukrainian defence-tech companies in moving from battlefield and market validation toward substantive engagement with international investors and industrial partners?
Approach
The research is based on qualitative interviews with three groups of market participants. Analysis follows the framework analysis method.
The research is not designed to confirm a predetermined conclusion — its purpose is to identify barriers, divergences, and trust mechanisms among market participants.
- Interviews
- 36–45
- Interview length
- 60–75 min
- Double-coded
- ≥20%
- Reporting standard
- COREQ
Ukrainian companies
Manufacturers that have passed battlefield or market validation.
International investors
Funds and institutions assessing deals in the defence sector.
Ecosystem representatives
Industry associations, industrial partners, donors.
Scope of the research
- maps barriers to capital access
- surfaces divergences between market groups
- documents trust mechanisms
- formulates evidence-based recommendations
- rank companies by quality
- assess the battlefield effectiveness of equipment
- make statistical claims about the market as a whole — the sample is purposive, not representative
Ethics and data protection
Participation in the research is voluntary at every stage. A respondent may withdraw at any time without explanation and request deletion of their data. Results are published only in aggregated and de-identified form, unless the respondent has separately given written consent otherwise.
The Organisation does not collect or disclose information constituting a state secret or other restricted information.
Methodological independence
A partner that assists with respondent recruitment or dissemination of results does not influence the course of the research, the content of questions, respondent selection, or conclusions. The canonical version of results is published on the Organisation's own official resources.
Have relevant experience to share? Contribute it to the research →