Ukrainian startup Thermopylae attracted $1.6 million for the development of interceptor drones
The startup Thermopylae, founded by the 21-year-old Ukrainian engineer Yehor Balytskyi, received $1.6 million in a pre-seed round for the development of budget interceptor drones designed to counter mass air threats.
Thermopylae, named after the famous Spartan battle, was founded by Balytskyi, who left Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Before moving to the USA, he worked for leading European companies in the fields of cybersecurity and distributed systems. The startup creates ultra-light folding quadcopters launched from a standard tube resembling a mortar. With an electric motor and thermal guidance, the drone can reach speeds of up to 350 km/h with payload and has a target flight time of up to 20 minutes. The expected cost of such a drone will be less than $10,000.
The funding of $1.6 million was obtained from Naval Ravikant, venture fund UA1, Norgard Capital, and a number of angel investors. Ivan Taranenko of UA1 emphasized that Thermopylae stands out with deep technical expertise and task execution speed. After receiving funding, the startup plans to return to Ukraine for testing developments with parts at the frontlines and scaling production capacities.
| Startup | Thermopylae |
| Founder | Yehor Balytskyi |
| Established | June 2023 |
| Funding Amount | $1.6 million |
| Main Investors | Naval Ravikant, UA1, Norgard Capital |
| Product | Interceptor Drones |
