Ukrainian Sky Spy raises $1.6 million to produce portable SIGINT system

Sky Spy, a start-up developing portable electronic intelligence systems, has raised $1.6 million in a pre-seed round. The round was led by Expeditions Fund and Superangel, with Freedom Fund, Sunfish Partners, Crosscourt Ventures and Material Ventures also taking part. The company announced the investment will be used to enter the market, launch production and expand the team.

Sky Spy was founded by multinational team with Ukrainian origins who are now developing their business in Europe and the United States. The company is building compact autonomous AI-driven ELINT systems designed to operate in environments with significant radio interference.

The announcement follows the successful frontline testing of Sky Spy’s first product, Agent 001. The system was trialled with active military units in Ukraine, where it demonstrated the ability to detect and geolocate hostile emitters, including UAS control stations and electronic warfare systems. Soldiers described Agent 001 as the first system of its kind to prove its effectiveness in real combat conditions.

Agent 001 is Sky Spy’s flagship module, turning small drones into autonomous “signal hunters” by combining radio intelligence with visual confirmation. Weighing just over 500 grams, it detects, classifies and localises radio emitters in real time, operating even under jamming and GPS-denied conditions. The system uses proprietary filtering algorithms, specialised RF hardware and combat data.

Unlike traditional solutions for large aircraft or static networks, Agent 001 processes signals fully onboard and integrates with any COP/C2 infrastructure. The company positions it as an affordable solution for both defence and dual-use customers.

Investors highlighted the team’s technical depth, rapid development, and successful validation of the product by end users. Sky Spy team says they have also already attracted the attention of leading global drone manufacturers and are working on integrating their module into next-generation tactical platforms.

Experience from the war in Ukraine has shown that units must operate amid thousands of civilian, commercial and military transmitters, team notes. In such conditions, traditional ground and airborne SIGINT systems often fail to provide timely results, forcing units to rely on visual intelligence and missing up to 80% of small, high-priority targets.

“Sky Spy was created by people who have seen how unreliable intelligence costs lives,” said CEO Arsenii Hurtavtsov, adding that the mission is to provide forces with real-time awareness of the spectrum.