About Darkstar
Darkstar is a coalition of individuals and organizations bringing together expertise from unicorn founders, military veterans, investors, and technical leaders. Our mission is to win the war and rearm Europe. We are helping strengthen national security and preparedness for the EU, NATO nations and allies by fostering transformative defence technologies and scaling an industry that thrives on innovation, collaboration, and real-world applicability.
We are actively bridging the gap between modern warfare challenges and the technologies needed to address them. We do this through equity investments, facilitating partnerships across various types of organizations, developing the defence tech ecosystem, resolving market barriers, and by bridging nations.
European and allied defence forces need innovative, battlefield-proven weapon systems. European and global startups have the products but lack opportunities to validate them on the real battlefield. Ukrainian startups are developing groundbreaking defence products that are battlefield-validated and enable Ukraine to win against a technologically advanced enemy at a fraction of the cost, but they have limited resources and understanding of export markets.
Darkstar connects all three sides. In general terms, what we do is facilitate the feedback loop between companies and the end users of their products. We validate technologies together with defence forces, industry, and our partners across Ukraine, Estonia, the UK, the Nordics, CEE and the broader EEA, and we build the working relationships that make that loop continuous rather than one-off.
About Bootcamps
A Camp is a short, intensive programme designed specifically for defence tech startups, focused on real, deployable capabilities. What it does, in general terms, is close the feedback loop: it puts the companies building equipment together with the people who use it, alongside investors and government stakeholders, to validate and test technologies in realistic scenarios and build partnerships that last. The emphasis is on hands-on evaluation and direct, unfiltered feedback from end users.
Rigorous pre-selection of startups, direct engagement with end users, investors, banking and governmental partners. Hands-on evaluation under realistic conditions.
Companies get unfiltered feedback from experienced operators and real validation. Partnerships, integrations, purchase orders, on the spot. Several projects have gone from prototype to deployment in weeks, not months.
Everything runs on a controlled guest list. Participants are selected individually, invited by name, and admitted against ID at the door. There is no open registration, no transferable passes, and no walk-ins. A country and a year is as specific as we ever get in public: exact dates, cities and venues go to confirmed participants only, individually and late, and we do not confirm them on request. Numbers are kept deliberately small, so the room stays senior and everyone in it is accounted for. Recording and posting are not permitted at any point. The result is a closed room where people speak plainly, which is the whole point.
Learn more and apply at futurearmy.camp
Future and Past Events
Future Army Camp: Ukraine, 2026
The next camp is being prepared. Exact dates, cities and venues are never published and we do not confirm them on request. Selected teams are contacted directly. Register interest via futurearmy.camp
Listed without dates or locations, deliberately. What all of them have in common is the same thing: closing the feedback loop between the companies building equipment and the people who use it. Camps run on an irregular schedule and we do not describe the pattern.
Deployments and hires
First Ukrainian deployments for EU companies, combat veteran hires, and long-term partnerships between manufacturers and end users.
Cross-border cooperation
Companies from across the EU and Ukraine working alongside end users, experts and investors. On-the-spot partnerships and a tactical tabletop wargame to strengthen EU-Ukraine military-tech cooperation.
More from earlier camps
Systems stress-tested
Technologies ranging from heavy-lift electric mobility to AI-driven EW and anti-FPV swarms, deep-strike delivery, resilient comms, and sub-surface USVs.
Counter-UAV focus
Counter-UAV from passive detection to interception, new-generation ammunition, training systems and surveillance.
Navigation and de-mining
Counter-UAS technologies, alternative navigation systems, sea deterrence innovations, and de-mining solutions.
Integrations on the spot
UGV platforms, mapping, laser-guided munitions, thermal cameras. Integrations agreed during the camp and orders placed immediately after.
Stay tuned for Darkstar updates on LinkedIn. We post about our work, never about upcoming events.
From Our Bootcamps
“Even if I would have just stood there for a couple of days, I would’ve gotten value!”// Bootcamp participant
“I reached more of the right end users here than I could have in a year on my own!”// Bootcamp participant
“We hired a combat veteran from this event!”// Defence tech company
“We made our first Ukrainian deployments!”// EU startup founder
Join the Mission
Defending Europe takes more than technology. It takes a coalition. Darkstar is built by people from every discipline who share a conviction that security is everyone’s business: engineers, founders, soldiers, investors, lawyers, manufacturers, communicators. If you can move the needle, there is a place for you.
Engineers, scientists, founders, and operators. Apply deep technical expertise and execution muscle where it matters most. Work alongside military end-users to ship what the battlefield actually needs.
Military professionals and veterans. Operational experience is irreplaceable. Validate technologies, advise on capability gaps, and help companies understand what works under fire.
Investors, bankers, lawyers, policymakers, supply chain leaders. Defence innovation needs capital, governance frameworks, production capacity, and people who clear the path from prototype to deployment.
Broadening the Spectrum
Our work goes beyond technology development. Darkstar addresses systemic challenges across the defence ecosystem, including:
Helping transform defence procurement processes to align with wartime models. Our goal is to reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, embrace flexibility, and replicate proven methods.
Partnering with banks and governments to create governance frameworks that facilitate the smooth flow of capital. These frameworks are essential for sustaining innovation and rapid deployment.
With facilitating partnerships, enabling integrations, and providing direct support from Darkstar coalition, we help strengthen national security and our collective preparedness.
Stay tuned for updates on our bootcamps, hackathons, defence tech meetups and other Darkstar updates on LinkedIn.
Military and Dual Use
Darkstar isn’t afraid to confront the difficult realities of modern defence. We invest in military technologies because we believe national security and our militaries need innovative products that address battlefield needs.
Technologies like cameras, communication modules, satellite imaging, robotics, drones, AI, navigation & guidance systems, serve both military and civilian needs.
Precision-guided munitions, loitering munitions, remote and autonomous weapon systems - we support the development of systems that address critical battlefield needs. These systems are guided by robust ethical frameworks, ensuring human oversight, compliance with international humanitarian law, and adherence to the Geneva Conventions.
Our commitment is rooted in the belief that defence innovation must adapt to evolving threats while prioritizing ethical responsibility.