Darkstar, a defence tech ecosystem builder, announced the official launch of Europe’s first pan-European defence fund fully dedicated to backing real military systems, including weapons and dual-use technologies.
The newly launched €25M fund has secured a first close of €15M, led by SmartCap, Estonia’s sovereign defence fund. Additionally, over 30 founders and supporters from across Europe also backed the fund.
With this fund, the Darkstar will focus on “combat-proven products & teams, that have the highest impact for Ukraine WIN & Re-Arm Europe,” says Ragner SaaS, co-founder of Darkstar.
With individual investments of up to €1M per startup, Darkstar has already backed two companies and plans to close another 4–5 deals by year-end.
“Our mission is to strengthen national security and preparedness for NATO and its allies by fostering transformative defence technologies and building an ecosystem that thrives on innovation, collaboration, and real-world applicability,” says the company.
The fund exclusively targets defence innovators with high-impact, battlefield-ready technologies from guided munitions and alternative navigation to surveillance and unmanned systems.
Darkstar: Building the defence tech ecosystem
Darkstar is a coalition of individuals and organisations bringing together expertise from unicorn founders, military veterans, investors, and technical leaders.
The VC firm is bridging the gap between modern warfare challenges and the technologies needed to address them.
At the core of Darkstar’s strategy is its Bootcamp series. It is a high-intensity, five-day accelerator hosted in Kyiv.
These bootcamps unite defence startups, military units, and policymakers to co-develop, field-test, and deploy real-time solutions.
Each bootcamp allocates €1.5M in potential funding, and participating startups receive live combat validation, immediate user feedback, and direct engagement with government buyers and military procurement units.
Darkstar supports technologies with civilian and military usages, such as:
Satellite imagingRobotics & AICommunications and navigation systems
Additionally, the VC also actively invests in single-use battlefield systems, including:
Loitering and guided munitionsAutonomous weapon platformsTargeting and imaging payloads
“ReArming Europe starts with giving Ukraine the best and most advanced tools to win. We cannot build Europe’s future military without learning from the 🇺🇦 frontline. That’s why our most critical advisors are the best Ukrainian combat soldiers,” says Ragner SaaS, co-founder of Darkstar.
