Biggest Funding Rounds for Ukraine (H1 2026)

In H1 2026, some of Ukraine’s biggest funding rounds came from defense companies, as defense tech continued to develop into a venture-backed industry. Ukraine’s defense ecosystem is increasingly producing investable companies with commercial ambitions beyond the domestic market. Brave1 says its cluster now includes 2,500 companies and 5,000+ products, spanning UAVs, electronic warfare, AI, missiles, naval drones and other categories.

European institutions are putting more money directly into Ukrainian deep tech. In April, the European Commission announced €20 million for 41 Ukrainian startups and SMEs, with individual companies receiving €300,000–€500,000 and gaining potential faster access to the EIC Accelerator. This matters because it creates a funding route beyond traditional VC, particularly for capital-intensive deep-tech companies.

Another notable update is that Preply became a unicorn. The Ukrainian-founded edtech company raised a $150 million Series D at a $1.2 billion valuation in January 2026.

This article is part of the CEE funding mapping series, done with the support of the Dealigence platform. Please feel free to contact us if we missed something: newsroom@therecursive.com.