Defense tech and ‘resilience’ get global funding sources: Here are some top funders

We live in a very different world since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. With global military expenditure reaching $2.4 trillion last year, startups are hoping to get a share of the pie, and formerly reluctant investors are keen to help them do so.

The U.S. budget is by far the largest, with contracts worth $53 billion to major tech firms between 2019 and 2022. But the rise of defense tech as an investment trend is very much global.

German-based AI startup Helsing is a strong example of the unprecedented amounts of capital available to tech businesses with military potential.

Investor appetite is particularly strong for tech solutions with dual-use potential, meaning that they can be used for both civilian and military applications. The idea that defense tech can benefit society more broadly is also reflected in the rising concept of “resilience tech.”

More than the worn-out term of “defense,” the word “resilience” reflects the idea that innovation can make democratic societies less vulnerable to attacks and help them recover faster. 

For instance, Helsing co-CEO Gundbert Scherf said that he and his co-founders created the company “because we believe that AI will be essential so that democracies can continue to defend their values.”

The fact that Helsing’s mission resonated with mainstream investors such as Spotify founder Daniel Ek reflects a mindset change in society as a whole, but also in venture capital itself. 

While typically prevented from investing into weapons by their so-called vice clause, funds large and small are now willing to fund international startups in the broader resilience tech space, with the blessing of major limited partners such as the European Investment Fund.

From the EU to Ukraine to Israel, here are some venture capital firms taking a bet on resilience tech outside of the U.S. 

NATO Innovation Fund

NATO Innovation Fund is currently one of the most frequently mentioned players in resilience tech conversations. A $1 billion fund rarely goes unnoticed, and even more so when it is dedicated to a sector where venture capital has been scarce. However, it maintained a low profile since its official launch in August 2023, even declining interview requests. 

Not anymore: One year in, NIF disclosed the first investments it made into a wide range of verticals — AI, space tech, manufacturing, transportation, and robotics; but always with an eye on “advancing defense, security and resilience.”

NIF’s direct investments can only go to startups from the 24 countries that are its LPs. This includes Iceland, but not France, for instance, which could help bring fresh funding to locations that have traditionally received less capital, but are even keener than larger countries on resilience tech. 

However, NIF’s scope is made a bit more flexible by the fact that it is also a fund of funds. The VC firms it has backed so far include Alpine Space Ventures, Join Capital, OTB Ventures, and Vsquared Ventures.

OTB Ventures

Founded in 2017, above-mentioned OTB Ventures existed long before NIF, but its focus on deep tech is taking on a new flavor. With support from NIF, but also the European Investment Fund (EIF), the Amsterdam-based firm with Polish roots has already started deploying its $185 million early-growth fund into what it calls “real tech.”