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Reed Hastings has joined the team of the UA1 Foundation, which focuses on financing promising defense developments in Ukraine. This was announced in a conversation with Forbes Ukraine by Oleksandr Kamyshyn, Presidential Advisor on Strategic Development.
According to the organization’s plans, the first investment stage with the attraction of $50 million should be completed by the end of April 2026. The lion’s share of investors in this project are venture capitalists and technology entrepreneurs from the United States. UA1 is authorized to invest in military technologies suitable for use in combat operations, giving priority to Ukrainian inventions. Kamyshin serves as an advisor to the fund, searching for and attracting new financial partners. According to his forecasts, by 2026, the domestic defense industry can expect an inflow of more than $1 billion in investments.
UA1 is founded by William McNulty, a former U.S. Marine whose cooperation with Ukraine began at the start of the full-scale war with the provision of first aid kits for passenger trains. McNulty became an active player in the defense tech market, starting investing in 2024, and later these assets became the basis for the new fund’s portfolio. As of October 2025, UA1 has already accumulated $18 million.
By the way, Reed Hastings has previously donated $1 million to the Ukrainian charity Razom for Ukraine. And last year, the philanthropist donated $2 million to the White Stork Foundation to help Ukrainian doctors on the front line.
Priority areas for investment include AI, electronic warfare, autonomous systems, robotics, and cyber defense. Hastings’ decision to join the fund demonstrates a significant increase in the attention of global technology leaders to Ukraine’s defense sector and a high appreciation of the potential of local high-tech startups.
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