Enn Adoson takes the stage at DTID26 on June 3rd, representing Wayren on the panel. If you're attending, be sure to stop by and say hello!
One of the panels we're most looking forward to at DTID26: "Battlefield-Proven Tech: Can Founders Who Haven't Seen War Build What War Actually Needs?" As defence tech surges across Europe, there's an awkward question nobody really wants to ask out loud: does building for the battlefield require having been on one? Is the Ukrainian model, where founders are shaped directly by war, the exception, or the standard the rest of Europe is going to have to catch up to? We're putting it to people who have actually been there. Moderating: Rasmus Basilier, Development Manager at Millog Oy, Finland's defence force strategic partner. Did his military service with the Swedish Royal Marines, frequently hosts panels on dual-use, resilience and defence, and is a Lead Mentor at NATO DIANA. On the panel: Lt. Maryan Sulym — CEO of Zvook. Ukrainian engineer and serial entrepreneur from the IT world who joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2022 with no prior military background. Now an engineer in the command battalion of the 125th Heavy Mechanized Brigade. In the early days of the war he identified the need for acoustic detection and, working with civilian engineers, organised the development and scaling of what became Zvook. Hundreds of sensor units deployed, picking up everything from Shaheds and cruise missiles down to FPV drones. Col. (Retd.) Dan HENRY — co-founder of APOLLO MINERVA. 20-year military career, starting in the RAF as an air defence pilot, then transitioning into Special Operations as a Qualified Forward Air Controller. Spent his final years running unconventional warfare operations in Syria. Co-founded Apollo Minerva with Maj. Gen. Claude Peloux around gaps he had seen firsthand — existing defence systems too slow, too rigid, or politically constrained. Enn Adoson — Command Sergeant Major of the Kaitsevägi | Estonian Defence Forces and COO of Wayren. Almost thirty years as an infantryman, having served in every enlisted leadership position from squad leader up. Deployments include KFOR (Kosovo), SFOR (Bosnia), OIF I (Iraq), and ISAF (Afghanistan). Decorations include the Order of the Cross of the Eagle with Swords, the Estonian Defence Forces Distinguished Service Decoration with Swords, and the US Bronze Star. This one won't be about buzzwords. It's about what works, what fails, and what the next generation of defence tech actually needs to look like — from people who've depended on it with their lives. DTID26, June 3rd, Helsinki, Maria01. See you there: https://luma.com/ttpwkgu8 Huge thanks to our team making this happen — Janiina Lammi, Walid O. El Cheikh, Sandra Golbreich, Eglė Jašinskaitėė, Jokubas Karnauskas, Andrius Milinavicius, 🧙♂️ 🧙♂️ Erik Bhullar, Kristina Kaceviciute, Jana Budkovskaja, Augustas Jurevičius, Karolina Limanovskaja for bringing this event closer every day.