diff --git a/apps/px4io/px4io.c b/apps/px4io/px4io.c
index a3ac9e3e78..230906662f 100644
--- a/apps/px4io/px4io.c
+++ b/apps/px4io/px4io.c
@@ -55,10 +55,15 @@
 
 __EXPORT int user_start(int argc, char *argv[]);
 
+extern void up_cxxinitialize(void);
+
 struct sys_state_s 	system_state;
 
 int user_start(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
+	/* run C++ ctors before we go any further */
+	up_cxxinitialize();
+
 	/* reset all to zero */
 	memset(&system_state, 0, sizeof(system_state));
 
diff --git a/nuttx/configs/px4io/common/ld.script b/nuttx/configs/px4io/common/ld.script
index 17f816acfe..69c2f9cb2e 100755
--- a/nuttx/configs/px4io/common/ld.script
+++ b/nuttx/configs/px4io/common/ld.script
@@ -74,6 +74,15 @@ SECTIONS
 		_etext = ABSOLUTE(.);
 	} > flash
 
+	/*
+	 * Init functions (static constructors and the like)
+	 */
+        .init_section : {
+                _sinit = ABSOLUTE(.);
+                KEEP(*(.init_array .init_array.*))
+                _einit = ABSOLUTE(.);
+        } > flash
+
 	.ARM.extab : {
 		*(.ARM.extab*)
 	} > flash
diff --git a/nuttx/configs/px4io/io/defconfig b/nuttx/configs/px4io/io/defconfig
index 794568a586..74433e86c4 100755
--- a/nuttx/configs/px4io/io/defconfig
+++ b/nuttx/configs/px4io/io/defconfig
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ CONFIG_DEBUG_INPUT=n
 
 CONFIG_MSEC_PER_TICK=1
 CONFIG_HAVE_CXX=y
-CONFIG_HAVE_CXXINITIALIZE=n
+CONFIG_HAVE_CXXINITIALIZE=y
 CONFIG_MM_REGIONS=1
 CONFIG_MM_SMALL=y
 CONFIG_ARCH_LOWPUTC=y