OPERATING DOCTRINE
The 10 Rules of Ukraine
Drawn from every company we have watched succeed — and every one we have watched fail. We evaluate your team against these in the Readiness Assessment.
- 01
Be For Ukraine
Come to contribute to the fight, not to extract from it. Commitment is visible, and it is what gets rewarded.
- 02
Be In Ukraine
Presence is non-negotiable. Decisions happen in Kyiv and at the front, not over video calls.
- 03
Be With Soldiers
Your real product managers are the units using your product. Go to them.
- 04
Be Connected
The right introductions, made the right way — ecosystem, partners, and local investors.
- 05
Be Curious
The battlefield changes weekly. Arrive ready to learn, not to lecture.
- 06
Be Bold
The market rewards speed and conviction. Hesitation reads as absence.
- 07
Be Persistent
Almost nothing works the first time. Iteration is the price of entry.
- 08
Be a Team Player
Work with Ukrainian partners and other companies, not around them.
- 09
Be Brave
Go where your product is used. Bravery is respected, and remembered.
- 10
Be Charitable
Give back to the country you are asking to trust you.
COMPANIES THAT LIVED BY THEM
ALL SIX RESULTS →A letter of intent from a major Ukrainian company that helped the client into Y Combinator. A second LOI is in negotiation.
A buyer paid cash up front to pre-order ten units from a company that had a concept and no hardware.
Raised by an air-defense interceptor company on the back of frontline letters of intent.
Clients are anonymised by category. Outcomes vary by product, performance, and demand. No specific outcome is guaranteed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Questions
What are the 10 Rules of Ukraine?
Be For Ukraine, Be In Ukraine, Be With Soldiers, Be Connected, Be Curious, Be Bold, Be Persistent, Be a Team Player, Be Brave, and Be Charitable. They are drawn from observing which defense companies succeed in Ukraine and which fail.
How are the rules used?
Call two of the Ukraine Readiness Assessment is a founder interview scored against all ten, alongside export posture, financial runway, production capacity and validation of stated claims.
SCORED AGAINST THESE
The assessment measures your team against all ten.
Founder interviews, export posture, runway, production capacity — and a written decision.
THE READINESS ASSESSMENT
Scored against all ten
Call two of the Readiness Assessment is a founder interview against all 10, alongside export posture, financial runway, production capacity, and validation of stated claims.
A fixed fee. Scheduling begins within one business day.