Lockheed Martin Ventures Pours $100 Million Into European Defense Tech

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-17

American VC firm Lockheed Martin Ventures is making a big push into European markets. They're planning to invest a chunk of their $1 billion fund in promising DefenseTech companies across the continent. And they're opening a London office to make it happen, with a goal of putting at least $100 million into UK and European startups. "We are reaching even deeper into the investing ecosystem, meeting our potential partners where they are," says Chris Moran, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin Ventures. "Our presence will help us seize opportunities for investing earlier in the startup lifecycle, ensure technical interoperability with existing platforms, and better support our allied customers." ### Why Europe and Why Now? Lockheed Martin Ventures' plan to deploy part of its investment capacity in Europe comes amid a surge of financing activity across the continent's DefenseTech, dual-use, unmanned-systems, and sovereign-intelligence sectors. It's not just a random move—there's real momentum here. EU-Startups has tracked more than $1.24 billion raised by nine relevant companies. The lion's share—about $1.14 billion—came from Quantum Systems' Series D round. The other disclosed rounds together account for roughly $98.6 million. That's a lot of cash flowing into defense and dual-use tech. ### UK Startups in the Spotlight UK-based companies are already on the radar. Think London's SatVu and Occam Industries, and Bristol's Uplift360. That makes the United Kingdom—where Lockheed Martin Ventures plans to set up its European office—a key part of this funding pipeline. Dan Tenney, senior vice president of Global Business Development and Strategy, explains: "We are looking to invest in technologies that complement the company's national security capabilities and help advance solutions to meet current and future customer mission needs, while further strengthening the transatlantic defense industrial base." He adds, "We expect our investment strategy to evolve as technologies emerge and the startup environment matures in markets where we do business around the world." ### A Quick Look at Lockheed Martin Ventures Founded in 2007 with an initial $100 million, Lockheed Martin Ventures is the investment arm of the American aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin. Since its founding, it's helped 60 companies mature into suppliers. To date, it's invested over $500 million in more than 120 companies. Over the past two years alone, 25 new companies have joined the portfolio. But it's not just about the money. Lockheed Martin Ventures gives portfolio companies access to engineering talent, cutting-edge technologies, research, and the full suite of Lockheed Martin's business and technical expertise. That kind of support can be a game-changer for early-stage startups. ### The Bigger Picture This focus on European innovation follows the largest boost in available capital in the fund's history. In April, the company announced it would increase investment capacity from $400 million to $1 billion. Using a portion of that enhanced funding, Lockheed Martin Ventures Europe aims to accelerate the insertion of new technologies into DefenseTech—part of the company's commitment to strengthen the transatlantic defense industrial base. The firm says it has already invested in a number of European companies, though the full list isn't public. If you're a DefenseTech startup in Europe, this could be your chance to get noticed by one of the biggest players in the game.