The Vertical Space
The Vertical Space
Jim Barry, Peter Shannon & Luka Tomljenovic
#81 Brian Streem, Vermeer: An American founder’s move to Ukraine to build drone tech
1 hour 18 minutes Posted Dec 11, 2024 at 9:00 pm.
Everything is terrible and nothing works
No good data
Moving to Kyiv
In a war room with the General
Cold calling 2,000 people at the DoD
Early lessons in Ukraine
Doing business in Ukraine
Visual Positioning System
Competition
Willingness to pay
The flow of money in Ukraine
The value of being in Ukraine
A complicated sales process
Ukrainian defense tech ecosystem
Who is making money in Ukraine?
Other important problems to solve
Advice to entrepreneurs
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Show notes
In this episode, we speak with Brian Streem, Founder and CEO of Vermeer, about his journey from film production to pioneering drone technology in Ukraine’s defense ecosystem. Brian shares why he relocated to Kyiv, how he navigates the challenges of building advanced technology in a warzone, and the surprising ways it boosted his credibility with U.S. and European partners. We explore Vermeer’s Visual Positioning System, the competitive drone market, and Brian’s unique approach to solving prob...