Ukrainian-Estonian startup BaBayte OÜ has secured investment from the American venture fund Green Flag Ventures. The fund disclosed the deal, although the amount of the investment has not been made public.
BaBayte develops technologies for unmanned aerial vehicles. Its core focus is the creation of an artificial intelligence module that can be installed on a drone, allowing it to independently detect threats and evade them.
The system developed by the company is capable of analyzing the trajectory of a potential interception in real time and automatically executing evasive maneuvers without operator involvement. This increases drone survivability in situations where they become targets for interception systems immediately after launch.
Justin Ziff, founding partner of Green Flag Ventures, noted that nearly every drone faces the same challenge: once launched, it immediately becomes a potential target. At the same time, threat systems — including interceptor drones and other counter-UAS tools — are evolving faster than the unmanned platforms themselves. According to him, most existing drones lack any self-protection mechanisms, and this is precisely the gap BaBayte aims to address.
BaBayte was founded in 2024 by Roman Karpenko. Before launching the company, he spent around five years working in the field of counter-UAS systems, giving him experience and insight into the threats faced by drones.
The company’s main product is the BabAI onboard artificial intelligence module. It is installed directly on the drone and equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors that enable detection of various threats, including interceptor drones, FPV drones, and other anti-drone systems. The collected data is analyzed by the AI system, which then decides whether to initiate an evasive maneuver.
BaBayte’s investor, Green Flag Ventures, is a U.S. venture capital fund founded in 2023 by entrepreneur Justin Ziff. The fund focuses on investing in early-stage companies, from pre-seed to Series A. Its core investment areas include cybersecurity, dual-use technologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and fintech.
In addition to BaBayte, the Green Flag Ventures portfolio includes companies such as Kara Dag, HIMERA, Falcons, Swarmer, and MaXon Systems, which also operate in the field of technology and defense innovation.
