Stark Defence raises €500M led by Sequoia and Founders Fund at a valuation above €3.5 billion

Berlin-based drone startup Stark Defence has raised €500M in a round led by Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund, pushing its valuation past €3.5 billion just two years after founding. The company builds loitering munitions (kamikaze drones), with its flagship Virtus drone already deployed in Ukraine. Over 80% of the new capital will go toward manufacturing and R&D expansion. The raise comes amid a broader European defence tech funding surge, with rivals Helsing and Quantum Systems also raising large rounds. Germany awarded Stark and Helsing initial contracts worth ~€269M each for drones to equip the Bundeswehr. Global defence tech VC reached $49B in 2025, nearly double the prior year, driven by EU rearmament plans and the war in Ukraine.

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/stark-defence-500-million-sequoia-founders-fund-3-5-billion-valuation. 8 Sync News only summarizes and links out; content copyright belongs to the authors and original sources.