EAIS24 showcased a series of impactful forums and panels, with the DefenceTech Investor Forum serving as a central platform for various defence-focused discussions.
The first session,“How the EU supports DefenceTech startups and investors”, featured speakers Kristīne Rudzīte-Stejskala, Policy Officer at DG DEFIS and Federica Valente, Research Technology and Innovation Coordinator at European Defence Agency. After the opening words provided by DG DEFIS, the discussion began with speakers highlighting the new and ongoing support structures in place for DefenceTech innovation, focusing on initiatives such as the European Defence Fund consisting of €8 billion and the Defence Equity Facility, launched recently in 2024 and already consisting of €175 million. Thanks to these initiatives, defence sector startups and SMEs are well positioned to benefit from critical financial support during their early and frequently risky lifecycle stages. Speakers made it clear that DefenceTech startups and SMEs offer strategic value and market demand, acting as drivers of innovation that are directly beneficial to the public down the line, positioning the sector as a best practice example for technological competitiveness and security.
Following this, the “Opportunities and Challenges of Investing in Defence and Dual-Use Technologies” panel featured Erik Markus Kannike of SensusQ, Emmanuel Ankri of Defence Angels, Dominykas Milasius of Baltic Sandbox and Moderator of the session, Jack Wang of Project A Ventures. The discussion focused on Europe’s evolving investment landscape for defense and dual-use technologies, with panellists attributing the sector’s growth to shifts in geopolitical priorities and increasing investor interest. The panel also addressed the challenges of funding in DefenceTech, emphasising collective funding mechanisms to offset the high costs and risks inherent in the sector. The panellists noted that extended development cycles and regulatory challenges could be mitigated through well-structured funding strategies.
Laura Doumbouya’s from European Investment Fund – EIF presented on “How the EIF Supports DefenceTech Startups and Investors,” providing a comprehensive overview of the EIF’s supportive methodologies. The presentation highlighted key initiatives, including equity investments, capacity-building programs, structured education, and tailored funding programs, to reinforce the audience’s understanding of the EIF’s approach to supporting the DefenceTech ecosystem.
Next, the panel “Partnering with governments and industries to scale-up in the defence market” included speakers Sebastian Straube of SUNFISH VC, Alexander Ribbik of KEEN Ventures GP, Kadi Silde of Starburst, Marco Lotz of Quantum Systems and moderator Michael O’Connor, International Judge and Umpire. Speakers outlined the importance and role that partnerships play during the scale-up process in defence markets, identifying the process of working with governments and partners as crucial, and recognizing that it plays a significant role in operational scale-ups, opening roads for increased production capabilities, rapid advancement of defence technologies and stable long-term funding. Emphasis was further placed on the benefit of combined investment approaches in addition to existing support structures, and how governments help bridge the gap acting as accelerators for establishment.
Concluding the forum, we had a startup pitching session with: ORBOTIX, PowerUP, SOTIRIA AI, ONX2, Hiraiwa, TE-OX SAS and PLENO who all shared their innovative projects and respective company visions. Congratulations once again to ORBOTIX for being selected as the winning pitch. The day finally ended with closing notes and the exciting announcement of the launch of the new EBAN Defence Community. Forums such as these serve as a great reminder of the need to foster an innovative, secure, and ethically sound ecosystem in Europe’s DefenceTech sector.