European Defense Tech Hub (EDTH), which has now organized its first defense-tech hackathon in Bulgaria. The three-day event in Sofia brought together more than 80 participants, alongside industry partners, mentors, and representatives of the Bulgarian government, including Prof. Georgi Venkov, Rector of TU Sofia, Gen. (Ret.) Atanas Zapryanov, former Minister of Defense, and Mira Yossifova, Deputy Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation.
The event also marked another step in EDTH's expansion across CEE.
The Recursive spoke with Philipp Ritzinger, Operations Manager of the European Defense Tech Hub, about the Sofia hackathon and their upcoming initiatives.
From Ukraine's battlefield to Bulgaria's startup ecosystem
In 2024, Ukraine supplied its armed forces with over 1.3 million drones in 2024, and that number only continues to grow. This fast-paced technological development has raised a question for Europe: how to build an innovation ecosystem capable of keeping pace.
This was among the motivations behind the launch of the European Defense Tech Hub in April 2024. Co-founded by Benjamin Wolba and Jonatan H. Luther-Bergquist, the initiative connects engineers, hackers, students, researchers, and startups working on defense and security technologies.
Now, the hub has expanded into an international network of events, workshops, industry partnerships, and startup support activities. In an earlier conversation with The Recursive, Wolba explained the thinking behind the initiative:
"I began to see its true potential, and how important it would be — on one hand, to help Ukraine win the war and defend itself, and on the other, to help Europe wake up, become more resilient, and address drone threats."
The organization's arrival in Bulgaria follows previous activities in countries including Romania, Czechia, Poland, Germany, and Ukraine.
What happened at Sofia's first defense-tech hackathon?
The Sofia hackathon was organized with local partners, building on contacts established through EDTH's earlier activities in Bulgaria, including a drone-building workshop held alongside the Regional Defense Summit.
The latest event brought together more than 80 participants and opened with representatives from Bulgaria's defense and innovation institutions, including a former minister of defense and a deputy minister of innovation. Participants also had the opportunity to join a hands-on drone-building workshop organized with DroneAid Collective.
The format followed EDTH's established approach: challenges were introduced on Friday evening, teams worked on their solutions throughout the weekend, and the results were presented to a jury on Sunday.
Unlike many startup competitions, however, the hackathon offered no cash prizes. The reason is that the organizers want participants to continue building beyond the event itself, rather than competing for a one-time financial reward.
Teams can arrive with existing projects or develop new ideas during the weekend. For industry partners, the events also provide an opportunity to discover technical talent and potential collaborators.
The three leading teams from Sofia received access to the Regional Defense Summit. Two of them also participated in the summit's startup pitching session, where the hackathon's winning team secured third place.
For EDTH, the result provided an encouraging starting point for further activities in Bulgaria. The organization is already looking to return in 2027, with the ambition of attracting more participants, partners, and companies.
Can defense startups grow without government support?
The Sofia event took place against a complicated political backdrop, with Bulgaria's defense and security policies attracting debate domestically.
In April 2026, Kremlin-friendly Rumen Radev’s newly formed center-left party, Progressive Bulgaria, secured an absolute majority in the country’s eighth general election in five years. Radev has called for restoring ties with Russia while opposing military aid to Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Meanwhile, the consequences of the war have moved closer to Bulgaria’s shores. On October 6, 2026, a commercial ship was attacked in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. The Turkish-owned Alfa Watan, bound for Romania’s port of Sulina, was reportedly struck by suspected Russian drones some 70 miles off Byala, with the explosion heard by the crew of the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria. Three more commercial ships have reportedly been attacked since, bringing the total to five vessels.
Asked whether the country's political environment affects EDTH's willingness to operate there, Philipp Ritzinger emphasized the distinction between government positions and the potential of local entrepreneurial communities.
In his view, a strong startup ecosystem does not necessarily begin with government initiatives. Entrepreneurs can build companies, attract investment, and gradually become important enough to influence wider institutional priorities.
Ritzinger pointed to Germany and the United Kingdom as examples of ecosystems that developed through entrepreneurial activity rather than exclusively through government direction.
For Bulgaria, the first challenge is building a community around defense innovation and demonstrating that the sector offers opportunities for engineers and entrepreneurs.
“There were people who were eager to join right away and others who were a bit more skeptical. We invited a lot of people and told them, ‘You don't need to join as partners, just come and have a look.’ And people really liked it. I'm very positive about doing it again next year.”
Still, government involvement remains important for a different reason: defense startups ultimately need customers, and those customers are often public institutions.
Beyond bringing together engineers and entrepreneurs, the Sofia hackathon also created opportunities for startups to connect with government representatives and potential customers.
“At the end of the day, you need procurement. You need an end buyer, whether that's a ministry of defense or the armed forces,” Ritzinger explains.
For EDTH, this is why involving public officials in its events matters, regardless of the political environment. Such connections can help emerging companies navigate the defense sector and build relationships with potential buyers.
“Establishing these contacts is really good and gives you credibility, especially when you come to a country for the first time.”
From weekend prototypes to real companies
The European Defense Tech Hub has now organized approximately 50 hackathons across its international network. While not every participating team goes on to establish a company, the initiative is beginning to see tangible results.
According to Ritzinger, an average of around two teams per hackathon continue developing their projects after the event, although their progress and commercial maturity vary considerably. Some have joined NATO DIANA accelerator cohorts, while others have been acquired or continued developing their technologies independently.
The organization also encourages teams to participate in multiple hackathons, using each event as an opportunity to improve their products, receive feedback, and meet potential partners.
Beyond the physical events, EDTH supports its community through online workshops, introductions to industry contacts, and networking opportunities.
What's next for the European Defense Tech Hub?
Following its first hackathon in Bulgaria, EDTH is continuing to expand its activities across Europe and internationally. Its network has already reached countries across Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, as well as locations in Asia and Australia.
The organization is also exploring further activities in markets where defense-tech communities are still emerging, including additional events in Southeastern Europe. For Sofia, the intention is clear: the first hackathon should become the foundation for a larger local community.
The next edition, planned for 2027, is expected to build on the relationships established during the inaugural event, with the aim of bringing in more companies, technical talent, and institutional partners.
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