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#81 Brian Streem, Vermeer: An American founder’s move to Ukraine to build drone tech
Manage episode 455091547 series 3617746
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In this episode, we speak with Brian Streem, Founder and CEO of Vermeer, about his journey from film production to pioneering drone technology in Ukraine’s defense ecosystem. Brian shares why he relocated to Kyiv, how he navigates the challenges of building advanced technology in a warzone, and the surprising ways it boosted his credibility with U.S. and European partners. We explore Vermeer’s Visual Positioning System, the competitive drone market, and Brian’s unique approach to solving problems, starting with listening to customers. It’s a candid, insightful discussion you won’t want to miss.
Chapters
1. #81 Brian Streem, Vermeer: An American founder’s move to Ukraine to build drone tech (00:00:00)
2. Everything is terrible and nothing works (00:05:52)
3. No good data (00:10:22)
4. Moving to Kyiv (00:13:15)
5. In a war room with the General (00:17:42)
6. Cold calling 2,000 people at the DoD (00:21:05)
7. Early lessons in Ukraine (00:23:37)
8. Doing business in Ukraine (00:27:12)
9. Visual Positioning System (00:30:30)
10. Competition (00:34:34)
11. Willingness to pay (00:39:11)
12. The flow of money in Ukraine (00:45:30)
13. The value of being in Ukraine (00:49:14)
14. A complicated sales process (00:56:18)
15. Ukrainian defense tech ecosystem (00:59:10)
16. Who is making money in Ukraine? (01:03:54)
17. Other important problems to solve (01:08:47)
18. Advice to entrepreneurs (01:11:21)
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