Germany- and Luxembourg-based VC firm Verne Capital has launched a €100 million fund to support European startups, with €25 million specifically allocated to Ukrainian defence technology companies.
- Verne Capital, founded in 2025 by Benjamin Krahmer and Michael Singer, is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups and breakthrough technologies in defence, security, and cybersecurity.
- The firm targets companies addressing national security challenges, protecting critical infrastructure, and strengthening European sovereignty.
- Its strategy combines capital investment with hands-on support, evaluating teams for technological expertise, frontline-tested products, scalability, and “defence IQ,” while providing access to networks of European investors for follow-on funding.
“We do not only give money, we want to support the startup in further growth, including enabling access to other European investors for later rounds. Venture capital, collaboration is always welcome, therefore we are happy to see this ecosystem growing,” explains Michael Signer, co-founder of Verne Capital.
- The new Verne Capital fund will invest €100 million in European resilience and defence tech startups, dedicating a third to the DACH region and 25% specifically to Ukrainian defence companies, while providing early-stage support, strategic guidance, and connections to other European investors.
- The new Verne Capital fund saw support from public and private investors associated with the founders’ previous fund Futury, including Hessen federal land, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Börse, Wisag, Merck, and Dussmann, as well as guidance from an industrial advisory board of former Airbus and German Army Procurement Office executives and cybersecurity specialists.
