European Defense Founders Turn Angel Investors

Defense startup founders are increasingly backing other companies in the sector with personal investments. The trend includes executives from companies like ARX Robotics and ICEYE.

European defense startups pulled in hundreds of millions over the past year. Successful founders are now recycling capital into angel deals. One defense-focused VC told Sifted that founder angel activity is substantial, though many keep investments private.

Florian Seibel cofounded Quantum Systems and the autonomous strike drone company Stark. The German entrepreneur confirmed backing 12 startups personally, mostly in defense. His portfolio includes ARX Robotics, Orqa, Swarm Biotactics, Kraken Technology Group, Weles Acoustics, Hypersonica, ZeroPhase, Wolf Radar, and Lysk AI.

Torsten Reil cofounded defense AI unicorn Helsing after exiting gaming company NaturalMotion to Zynga in 2014. PitchBook data shows Reil backed German robotics startup RobCo and procurement platform Tacto since 2022. Helsing declined to confirm the investments.

Marc Wietfeld runs ARX Robotics and serves as a partner at fund of funds J14 Capital. His LinkedIn indicates he backed space capsule startup Atmos Space Cargo.

Rafal Modrzewski cofounded Finnish satellite startup ICEYE in 2012. The company now focuses heavily on defense applications with contracts from Rheinmetall and European defense ministries.