Speakers

Ricardo Mendes is the CEO of TEKEVER, Europe’s leading provider of Unmanned Aerial Systems. He founded the company in 2001 as a software firm before pivoting to design and manufacture Unmanned Aerial Systems.

A globally recognised leader in the defence industry, Ricardo regularly speaks at international events. Of note, such engagements include at the Paris Air Show and NATO Summit where he led a discussion on “Scaling Technology on the Modern Battlefield.” Here, he spoke to the critical role TEKEVER’s autonomous systems have played in Ukraine by delivering real-time intelligence that adapts to the pace and complexity of today’s conflicts. On the editorial front, Ricardo is also frequently interviewed by leading media outlets such as the BBC, Reuters and Bloomberg.

Under Ricardo’s leadership, TEKEVER systems are deployed across a wide range of critical missions, including oil spill detection, wildfire monitoring and search and rescue operations. The company’s customers include the UK Home Office, the Ministry of Defence and private sector organisations.

In 2025, TEKEVER achieved a record year of growth, announcing a new funding round fully backed by existing investors, including Baillie Gifford and the NATO Innovation Fund, which propelled its valuation above £1billion. In the same year, TEKEVER unveiled its AR3 EVO platform, partnered with the UK Royal Air Force on the Stormshroud programme and announced a £400m UK investment aimed with strengthening the UK’s defence innovation ecosystem through TEKEVER’s OVERMATCH programme.

Before founding TEKEVER, Ricardo held various positions as a Teaching Assistant at the Instituto Superior Técnico, Researcher at INESC and as a Software Developer at SISCOG. He holds both an MSc and BSc in Computer Science from Instituto Superior Técnico.