Former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov Palantir CEO Alex Karp, a former government official, aims to turn Ukraine’s wartime technology experience into products for Kiev and its allies.
Mr. Karp will be the company’s first lead investor, Mr. Fedorov’s press office said. The size of the investment was not disclosed.
In a video posted by Fedorov to X on Tuesday, Karp said the company could bring its knowledge and experience of Ukraine’s war “to our allies as a product.”
“You and your colleagues are building a company that will define the world,” Karp said.
Few other details about the venture were disclosed, including its name, the technology it plans to develop, and the extent of Karp’s involvement. Fedorov’s press office declined to provide further information, but said he would gradually announce the next steps in his cooperation with Palantir. Palantir did not respond to a request for comment.
The project comes as the war between Ukraine and Russia has accelerated the development and deployment of technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence and battlefield software.
Fedorov, a longtime advocate of using technology to transform Ukraine’s military, said the company aims to apply lessons learned during the war to technology that is available to both Ukraine and its allies.
“During all-out war, our team gained unique experience working on defense technology in Ukraine and seeing first-hand how technology is changing modern warfare,” Fedorov said in a statement.
Fedorov, 35, was fired as defense minister by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July as part of a major government reshuffle after just six months in office. His dismissal sparked protests in Ukraine.
Since leaving power, Mr. Fedorov has courted American investors and technology executives as he pursues a series of projects focused on Ukraine’s defense sector.
He is also seeking U.S. help in establishing a separate defense technology investment fund focused on areas such as battlefield robotics, interceptor drones and AI-enabled missiles, the Financial Times reported last week.
The former defense minister had developed wartime relationships with prominent American technology executives. Last month, he called Elon Musk “the most important technologist and entrepreneur in the world for our country” and praised Starlink’s move to prevent the Russian military from using its satellite internet service.
