Welcome to the August 2025 edition of Vikela’s monthly technology & business development newsletter.
This month, we’re proud to celebrate Vikela’s 5th birthday — a milestone made possible by the dedication of our team, partners, and supporters. We also highlight key site visits that have strengthened our collaborations and advanced our projects, while continuing to build momentum in business development and strategic planning.
We hope you enjoy this update, and as always, thank you for being part of our journey!
Welcoming ADS Leadership to Vikela
This month, we were delighted to host ADS Group Ltd CEO Kevin Craven , ADS NI Director Leslie Orr , and Ashley Gasson at our Bangor facility.
The visit was a fantastic opportunity to share updates on Vikela’s journey—our recent milestones, ongoing R&D programmes, and the exciting projects ahead. We valued the chance to showcase our capabilities, highlight the progress we’ve made, and discuss how we can continue contributing to the defence and security ecosystem here in Northern Ireland and beyond.
A huge thank you to Kevin, Leslie, and Ash for taking the time to visit us. Their continued support and engagement are invaluable as we drive forward with our mission to deliver innovative, user-focused solutions that enhance survivability and mission readiness for those on the front line.
ADS NI Annual BBQ
The Vikela team was delighted to attend the ADS NI Annual BBQ, a fantastic event that brought together colleagues, partners, and industry peers from across Northern Ireland’s aerospace, defence, security, and space sectors.
It was a great opportunity to connect with fellow members, strengthen relationships, and share ideas in an informal setting. Events like these highlight the strength of the ADS NI community and the spirit of collaboration that drives innovation across our industries.
A big thank you to ADS NI for hosting such a well-organised and enjoyable evening—we’re already looking forward to the next one!
Vikela Advances in Singapore Slingshot 2025
We’re excited to share that Vikela has progressed to the second stage of the Singapore Slingshot competition!
Out of more than 6,000 global entries, we’ve made it into the Top 250 startups—a huge milestone for our team and recognition of the impact our technology can have on defence and security worldwide.
We’re looking forward to the next stage of the competition and the opportunity to showcase our solutions on an international stage alongside some of the world’s most innovative companies.
Onwards to the next round! 🚀
Other news in August
This month, we were delighted to celebrate the 5th birthday of Vikela. What began in 2020 as a bold idea from our founder, Peter Gilleece ‘3D-printed armour’ has grown into so much more. Over the past five years, we’ve:
- Expanded our team with exceptional engineers and support staff
- Established new offices and a cutting-edge manufacturing facility in Bangor Invested heavily in R&D, driving breakthrough innovations in defence and security
- Forged powerful partnerships across the UK, US, and Asia
- Engaged internationally, showcasing our solutions on the global stage
- Won the ADS Security Innovation Award 2024, a testament to our ingenuity
- Secured strategic investment, fuelling our next phase of growth
- Built a network of trusted distribution partners to deliver our products worldwide
Our mission remains unwavering: to develop innovative, user-driven solutions that enhance mission readiness and survivability for those on the front line. A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who’s been part of this journey. Here’s to the next chapter—more groundbreaking innovation, deeper collaboration, and even stronger protection for those who protect us. 🚀
Thank you for reading our latest newsletter and we’re looking forward to bringing you more updates over the next few months – as always get in touch with us if you want to book a chat or have any questions. If you know someone you think it would be good for us to have a conversation with, we would always appreciate being put in touch.
Look out for our next newsletter at the end of August and have a great month in the meantime,
The Vikela Team 👋
