Following a five-fold growth since 2018, VC investment in Europe’s defence tech is set to hit a record year in 2024, as it’s on course to reach $1bn.
According to a new Dealroom report, Europe is now at the heart of an investment surge, as governments turn to the defence tech sector to strengthen national security in response to escalating geopolitical instability.
“As we face war on European soil for the first time in decades, the urgency to strengthen our security and build a modern defence software stack has never been greater,” said Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, managing director and head of Europe at VC firm General Catalyst.
Zu Fürstenberg added that startups have “a critical role” to play. “Their agility, speed, and deep technical expertise are essential.”
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Over the past three years, defence tech startups and scaleups have raised $3bn in venture capital, according to the report. This means that the sector now accounts for 1.8% of the total European VC funding — having more than tripled since 2022.
Germany in the lead
Germany, the UK, and France dominate investments, having captured 87% of the total funding. Specifically, the three countries have raised $2.2bn between them since 2018.
Over the past six years, investments in Germany alone have surpassed those of the UK, the Nordics, the Netherlands, and Switzerland combined.
Munich has attracted most of the capital among all European cities, partly thanks to Helsing’s $487mn fundraise in 2024. Bristol and Paris follow as the next major investment hubs.
Alongside Bristol, five more UK locations make it to the top ten, including London (4th), Reading (5th), Oxford (6th), Leeds (8th), and Cambridge (9th).
NATO countries are betting big
VC investment in Europe’s defence tech startups is outpacing the growth of investments across the wider NATO group by 25%, the report found.
But an increasing flow of capital is evident across all member countries, with the US holding the leading position.
Overall, venture capital investment among NATO countries has increased fourfold since 2018. The alliance is now on track to close 2024 with $5.9bn. This will bring the total investment in defence tech raised by startups within the NATO area to $18bn since 2018.
There are now 370 VC-backed startups in NATO countries with a combined enterprise value of $161bn.