DEFENCE INVEST

DEFENCE INVEST: A European Defence Technology Venture Capital Investment Imperative

Defence technology is undergoing a profound transformation. Against the backdrop of geopolitical instability, technological acceleration, and intensifying state competition, the sector has shifted from institutional inertia to operational urgency. The current environment offers a generational opportunity, not only to generate alpha, but to shape the future of European security. At Defence Invest, we believe that capital alone is not enough. Strategic defence innovation demands a unique blend of expertise: operational experience, mission understanding, and long-term partnership with sovereign actors. That is why all the team members of Defence Invest are either veterans or currently serving officers across European and NATO armed forces, bringing over 60 years of combined military experience to the venture capital table. We are not tourists in this space, we are from it.

1. Why Now?

Traditional defence procurement cycles are outpaced by adversaries and by startups willing to move at mission speed. The war in Ukraine has underscored the value of asymmetric innovation: unmanned systems, rapid satellite deployment, software-defined capabilities, and resilient communications are now central to modern deterrence and operational superiority. The technological frontier is expanding, from battlefield autonomy to energy resilience, from hardened AI to cyber-kinetic integration. This is no longer “hard tech” for the few. It is the foundational infrastructure for the free world.

2. Europe’s Strategic Lag

Despite strong engineering talent and rising urgency, Europe lags behind the US in defence tech commercialisation. The reasons are well known: fragmented procurement systems, limited dual-use translation pathways, and a scarcity of aligned venture capital. Defence Invest was created to fill that gap. As an early-stage defence tech startup venture capital firm, we focus on Seed to Series A investments in dual-use and defence-first technologies. Our thesis is focused and unapologetically strategic: back companies located near NATO’s eastern flank that are building for the mission, with potential to scale across both public and private sectors.

3. Team First, Mission Always

Our team’s credibility is our edge. Over 60 years of combined active and reserve service across multiple NATO militaries, expertise in defence innovation, operational planning, and government procurement. This gives us direct access to defence ecosystems, from Brussels to Berlin to Tallinn. We’ve served in the environments where these technologies are deployed. We understand the mission needs, the operational constraints, and the urgency of real-world application. This gives us unparalleled insight into both the viability of emerging tech and the credibility of the founders behind it.

4. A New Industrial Base Is Emerging

The next-generation defence industrial base will not be built by legacy primes alone. It will be agile, software-native, and led by companies that can bridge the operational-commercial divide. The defence tech startup ecosystem must adapt accordingly, to allow for deploying specialist defence technology venture capital not just with speed, but with situational awareness.

At Defence Invest, we offer:

- Mission-aligned, defence tech focussed venture capital

- Access to NATO/EU defence technology innovation and procurement pipelines (e.g. DIANA, EDF, EUDIS)

- Embedded support from ex-operators and policy specialists

- Defence technology venture capital trusted networks with both governments and founders

We don’t just invest. We serve, advise, and accelerate!

5. The Call to Action

The opportunity is clear: invest in the defence technologies that will define Europe’s deterrence and resilience for the next fifty years. If you are a founder solving mission-critical defence technology challenges or an LP seeking to generate meaningful, mission-driven returns in defence technology focussed venture capital we invite you to partner with Defence Invest. This is not just an inflection point. It’s a call to action. 

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