Fedorov and Palantir CEO launch defense tech
Ousted Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Palantir CEO Alex Karp have announced a new defense technology company.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Palantir CEO Alex Karp announced a new defense technology company on Tuesday. Karp is the first investor in the venture, which Fedorov said will use his team's unique wartime experience to build technologies that strengthen Ukraine, help its allies, and ultimately make the world safer.
Fedorov left office in July. He confirmed last weekend he would not return to government, instead focusing on new projects including this company, building a major defense investment fund, and advising the Italian Ministry of Defense. Karp reportedly contacted Fedorov almost immediately after news of his dismissal broke this summer. Fedorov said at the time that Karp called to propose "we do something together," but asked to revisit the conversation later.
Fedorov's Tech Legacy
Fedorov built his reputation as Ukraine's tech-first defense chief. A key part of this legacy was his backing of the Delta battlefield management system. Delta fuses drone feeds, radar, and field data into a layered dashboard for real-time oversight and post-battle analysis. Outgoing U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told the U.S. Senate in May that Ukraine's Delta system is "absolutely incredible." He contrasted it with U.S. Army systems, which he said remain "compartmentalized, isolated and ineffective against modern threats."
The American equivalent is Palantir's Maven Smart System. It uses Anthropic's AI model to similarly combine real-world data and intelligence analysis into a single tool for battle planning and briefing.
Palantir's Role in Ukraine
Alex Karp was among the first Western tech executives to travel to Kyiv after Russia's 2022 invasion. Palantir's technology has since been deployed by more than half a dozen Ukrainian government agencies. One joint project is the Brave1 Dataroom, launched earlier this year. It runs on Palantir's infrastructure and allows Ukrainian companies to train AI models, including target-detection systems for countering Shahed-type drones, on real combat data.
Karp expressed strong support in a joint video announcement. "We've worked together for a half decade," Karp said. "I have been absolutely inspired by what you and the Ukrainians have pulled off, and very... delighted that we could play a part." Palantir's financial backing could mean significant investment. The company posted 93% year-over-year revenue growth last quarter, and its valuation has soared past $440 billion. Roughly half of its total revenue comes from U.S. government contracts.
Political Context of the Move
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy abruptly dismissed Fedorov in July. This was despite the former minister's widespread popularity among civilians and soldiers for his tech-first military strategies and aggressive initiatives tackling tough wartime challenges. His departure triggered weeks of nationwide protests demanding his reinstatement.
In Tuesday's press release, Fedorov stated that despite his new international ventures, "Ukraine will be the priority for me." The new company represents a direct transition of his government work into the private sector, aiming to commercialize the technological lessons learned during the full-scale war.
