Erkki Keldo serves as the Minister of Economy and Industry, focusing on entrepreneurship, export growth, and economic innovation. Previously, he was a Member of Estonian Parliament (2019-2024) and Secretary General of the Estonian Reform Party (2018-2022). A Tallinn University Political Science graduate (2013), Keldo was recently recognized as a Young Global Leader 2025 by the World Economic Forum - an elite community that includes heads of state, Nobel Prize winners, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Outside of politics, he enjoys football and participating in quizzes.
Kadri Tammai is the Regional Director at NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) and the lead for acceleration operations across 32 nations. Kadri has been a driving force behind innovation and deep-tech startup ecosystems in the New Nordics with over 15 years of experience in startup, security and dual-use fields. She has supported hundreds of startups founders and deep tech ventures across sectors such as AI, robotics, cyber defence, health tech, and space tech. Kadri's expertise extends to fostering dual-use technologies and working with NATO's cutting-edge innovation programs. She’s also an active mentor for startups and lecturer at the university.
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Dr. Dennis Gyllensporre chairs NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA). He serves as an Associate Professor at the Swedish Defence University and Vice President of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. During his 38-year military career, he served as Chief of Defence Staff (2014-2018) and held key international positions within the EU, UN, and NATO, including commanding UN forces in Mali (2018-2021). Dr. Gyllensporre holds advanced degrees from four countries and has received numerous distinctions for leadership excellence, including the Swedish Royal Order of the Sword and the French Légion d'honneur. He was named 'Leader of Change 2022' in Sweden and inducted into Halls of Fame at prestigious U.S. military institutions.
Sanra Särav is is a seasoned digital policy expert with a robust background in government and private sector roles. Leveraging experience from the Estonian Government and EU-level decision-making, she has served in public policy at Meta (Facebook) and led regulatory and sustainability efforts at Bolt, an Estonian tech unicorn. What brought her back to government was the sense of mission of building solutions for your own country. She’s a lecturer at TalTech, teaching the legal framework of digital government and EU law.
Kateryna Chaikivska is an investment analyst at Brave1, a defense-tech cluster backed by Ukraine's government. Brave1 brings together over 1,500 companies into a unified innovation ecosystem with an ultimate goal to guarantee technological advantage of Ukraine's Armed Forces over the enemy. With a strong background in finance and communications, Kateryna plays a key role in fostering relationships between BRAVE1 and its stakeholders, contributing to the advancement of Ukraine's defense innovation ecosystem. She holds a Master's degree from University of Edinburgh.
James Acuña is a former CIA senior operations officer who, after more than three decades focused on Eurasia, shifted to the drone industry. In 2022 he founded Frontier Vectors in Tallinn, advising investors and governments on unmanned‑ and counter‑unmanned‑air‑system technologies; he later established the Baltic Ghost Wing Center of Excellence in Jõhvi, Estonia, a proving ground and training hub for tactical‑drone pilots. An engineering graduate of the University of Michigan, Acuña now speaks internationally on drone warfare and UAS innovation.
Rasmus Basilier is a Finnish-Swedish entrepreneur and innovation strategist known for accelerating dual-use technologies and coaching startups to scale effectively. As Manager of Incubation and Acceleration at VTT, he plays a key role in NATO’s DIANA initiative, bridging civilian and defense tech. He’s also the founder of Euroscalers, a growth accelerator that has helped over 100 startups build efficient sales processes in just 12 weeks. With a background in business administration from Åbo Akademi University and experience in both public and private sectors, Basilier is a prominent voice in Nordic innovation and startup development.
Ivo Peets is an expert in defence planning, resource management, and capability development, with a strong focus on integrating innovative military technologies. He currently serves as Chief of the Future Force Development Program for the Estonian Defence Forces. Over the past five years, he has coordinated and developed long-term strategic visions and executable plans for Estonia’s national defence capabilities. Ivo has dedicated nearly 20 years to the Estonian Defence Forces, serving in roles from Platoon Commander to Senior Planning Officer. His career has taken him from operational deployments in Afghanistan to strategic planning roles at home. He holds advanced degrees in Defence Management and is currently completing a doctorate at Tallinn University, focusing on comprehensive national defence strategies for small states.
Nicholas Nelson is a leading investor and operator at the forefront of defence and dual-use technology. A Venture Partner at Superangel, he backs breakthrough deep tech startups across Europe and North America. He has held senior roles in early-stage venture capital, strategy consulting, and government, including deploying during the Global War on Terror. He previously founded Offset Ventures, Europe's first defence-focused venture capital investor. Mr. Nelson holds fellowships at the University of Oxford, Georgia Institute of Technology, and CEPA, where his work bridges national security, emerging tech, and private capital. He’s an elected Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and his writing and insights have appeared in the Financial Times, BBC, Politico, and Sifted.
Raul Rikk is the Capability Development Director at Milrem Robotics. His areas of responsibility include strategic planning, the development of military robotics concepts, and the execution of long-term development projects, including those for the EU and NATO. Previously, he served as the Estonian Director of National Cyber Security, where his primary role was to manage, organize, and coordinate the provision of national cyber security both domestically and internationally. Raul has been involved in developing digital society and cyber security capabilities in various countries. He is one of the founders of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. He also created the National Cyber Security Index. Raul holds a master's degree from the Finnish National Defense University and a master's degree in IT Management from Tallinn University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.
Thomas Øiseth Munkholm is the owner of Weibel Scientific, a Danish company specializing in advanced Doppler radars – all developed and produced in-house. The company serves governments and corporations within defence, aerospace, and space exploration with more than 5,000 radars in operation across 45 countries. Under his leadership, Weibel Scientific has significantly increased its innovation capacity, resulting in continued technological breakthroughs in radar technology. As the second generation in the company, Munkholm is committed to the business philosophy of his father, Erik Tingleff Larsen: “With high technological risk comes high reward.” During his tenure, Weibel Scientific has grown from 45 employees in 2013 to 500 employees in Denmark, Norway, and the United States by 2025.
Thomas is a Senior UAS Consultant at AirHub consultancy advising drone operators and manufacturers as well as governments on drone-related matters. He was the Head of Operations at FlyingBasket where he expanded the realm of heavy cargo drone applications in various industries within a quickly evolving regulatory environment. He has co-founded a company that developed professional filming drones in hard to reach areas. Thomas' background is in aerospace engineering, previously he has worked in the field of aircraft engine performance at Rolls-Royce and MTU.
Aimar is a UAV enthusiast and the Chief Test Engineer at Threod Systems. He is leading the EOS C VTOL UAV test team and oversees UAV compliance to ensure the systems and flight operations meet standards. His passion for UAVs began during the pandemic, when he had the time to explore building and flying RC planes and multirotors. What started as a hobby quickly evolved into a career. When Threod Systems experienced rapid growth, he seized the opportunity to merge his 15+ years of experience in industrial automation with his newfound passion for unmanned systems.
