Late September, Guillaume attended the Resilience Conference 2025 in London. Resilience Media convened European and Allied investors, government officials, and frontier-technology innovators for an event curated by Tobias Stone and Leslie Hitchcock. Representatives from across the defence technology ecosystem gathered to evaluate Europe’s strategic posture and the role of private capital in strengthening resilience. Three themes emerged prominently during the discussions:
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Hybrid warfare below the economic threshold: Speakers emphasized that today’s grey-zone conflict environment challenges traditional assumptions of peace, yet remains below the level that would trigger large-scale economic mobilization. Europe is not operating in a “war economy,” and many governments retain limited incentives for substantial defence investment.
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European underestimation of the threat landscape: Participants noted that Russia is adaptive, aggressive, and accelerating its military innovation. Units such as Rubicon illustrate the pace of this evolution. At the same time, the cultural divide between Western civilian tech ecosystems and military users continues to slow adoption cycles.
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Shift toward scalable, cost-effective battlefield solutions: The next generation of capabilities will be modular, affordable, and rapidly scalable. Examples such as the Flamingo missile (priced around €1 million with a 3,000 km range and 15 m accuracy) highlight the disruptive potential of new entrants. Private capital has a clear opportunity to support this paradigm shift.
A standout moment of the conference was the contribution from Ukraine’s Armed Forces, who detailed how Ukrainian units are adapting Western technologies under extreme operational pressure while facing an enemy capable of fast learning and rapid counter-innovation. Several core technologies were identified as decisive for near-term battlefield advantage.
Thought leaders Mike Keating and Teemu Seppälä delivered compelling analyses on the modernization of armed forces, stressing the need to balance technological transformation with the ethical and human dimensions of warfare.
European VCs outlined the structural challenges and emerging opportunities in dual-use financing, while the Darkstar team was widely recognized for its commitment to building one of the most dynamic defence-tech ecosystems in Europe and providing direct support to Ukraine.
In a nutshell, the conference underscored that innovation, cooperation, and adaptability are central to safeguarding democratic societies.
