Prague Defense and Tech Week 2025

In June 2025, Prague Defense and Tech Week (PDTW) took place in the Czech Republic — the first event of its kind in the country, focused on defense technologies, startup-driven innovation, and strategic collaboration across the CEE region.

For the team at Cyber Drone Solutions, this was an important milestone. Thanks to the support of the S-Tech Ventures acceleration program, we had the opportunity to attend this landmark event, connect with key players in the defense tech ecosystem, explore emerging trends, and gain valuable insights directly from military users and industry experts.

Technology Designed to Solve Real-World Problems

One of the highlights of the week was the EDTH Hackathon, where more than 150 developers, engineers, analysts, and military professionals worked on real battlefield challenges.
It was inspiring to see how quickly functional defense technology prototypes can be built when practical experience meets deep technical skill.

The key topics and technologies addressed included:

• GNSS-independent navigation for jammed environments,

• acoustic threat detection for perimeter defense,

• autonomous anti-drone systems with real-time targeting,

• deployable mesh communication networks for contested zones.

War as an Innovation Driver

PDTW also featured key gatherings such as DEFSEC25 and the Invest in Bravery Summit, bringing together defense tech founders, venture capital investors, NATO advisors, and government representatives.
A powerful insight echoed throughout the week:

“Ukraine isn’t just defending — it’s innovating on the battlefield.”

Ukrainian tech leaders shared first-hand lessons from deploying military-grade systems in active conflict zones — from drone survivability to electronic warfare resilience and infrastructure disruption tools.

These perspectives underscored the growing need for technologies built for harsh conditions, capable of operating where conventional systems fail.

Funding Gaps in Early-Stage Defense Innovation

Despite the growing demand for modern defense capabilities, early-stage defense startups still face significant challenges when it comes to access to capital.
Many investors remain cautious due to regulatory complexity, reputational risk, or simply lack of familiarity with the defense sector.

That’s why accelerator support from organizations like S-Tech Ventures is so critical. In our case, it helped us gain visibility, connect with relevant stakeholders, and engage directly with the broader European defense innovation ecosystem.

Defense Innovation Needs Room to Grow

Prague Defense and Tech Week showed how essential it is for startups working in dual-use and defense technologies to be part of a relevant environment — where innovation is tied to operational needs, guided by experienced partners, and tested in real-world contexts.

Events like PDTW highlight the potential of the CEE region not only to develop next-generation defense solutions but to deploy them where they matter most.