Berlin-based Stark, which develops autonomous drone and defence systems including loitering munitions and command-and-control software, has secured €500 million, bringing its total funding to €640 million.
- Founded in 2024 by Uwe Horstmann, Stark develops autonomous weapons systems, including loitering munitions (one-way attack drones), unmanned surface vessels, and command-and-control software for coordinating multi-domain operations.
- The company designs its systems to be rapidly deployable and scalable, combining hardware such as the Virtus loitering munition and Vanta maritime platform with software like Minerva, which is used to plan, coordinate, and control missions across different environments.
- It operates production and R&D facilities across several European countries and focuses heavily on electronic warfare, autonomy, and mass production to support modern battlefield requirements.
Details of the deal
- The investment saw support from Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, the NATO Innovation Fund, Project A, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Advent International, and Döpfner Capital.
- With the fresh capital, the firm plans to boost research and development, especially in electronic warfare, while also expanding its manufacturing capacity to produce drones at much larger scale.
