Lockheed Martin Ventures Pours $100 Million Into European Defense Tech Startups

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-17

American VC firm Lockheed Martin Ventures is expanding its reach to European markets. The goal? Invest its $1 billion fund in promising DefenseTech companies from across the continent. The firm is opening a London office with the aim of putting at least $100 million of that funding into startups in the United Kingdom and Europe. ### Why Europe Now? "We are reaching even deeper into the investing ecosystem, meeting our potential partners where they are," says Chris Moran, vice president and general manager of 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." This move comes at a time of massive financing activity across Europe's DefenseTech, dual-use, unmanned-systems, and sovereign-intelligence sectors. We've tracked more than $1.24 billion raised by nine relevant companies. A huge chunk of that—$1.14 billion—came from Quantum Systems' Series D round. The other eight disclosed rounds together account for roughly $98.6 million. ### The UK Connection UK-based companies like London's SatVu and Occam Industries, along with Bristol's Uplift360, are already part of this funding pipeline. That makes the United Kingdom a natural spot for Lockheed Martin Ventures' European office. "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," adds Dan Tenney, senior vice president of Global Business Development and Strategy. "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 Track Record of Success Lockheed Martin Ventures has been around since 2007. It started with an initial $100 million. Since then, it has matured 60 companies into full-fledged suppliers. To date, it has invested more than $500 million in over 120 companies. In just the last two years, it added 25 new companies to its portfolio. But it's not just about the money. Portfolio companies get access to Lockheed Martin's engineering talent, technologies, research, and the full suite of business and technical expertise. That's a huge advantage for any startup trying to scale. ### The Bigger Picture This focus on European innovation follows the biggest boost in available capital in the fund's history. Back in April, the company announced it would increase its investment capacity from $400 million to $1 billion. That's a massive jump, and it signals a serious commitment to finding and funding the next generation of defense tech. Using a portion of that enhanced funding, Lockheed Martin Ventures Europe will accelerate the insertion of new technologies into DefenseTech. It's all part of the company's commitment to strengthen the transatlantic defense industrial base. The firm says they've already invested in a number of European companies. The full list is available on their website. ### What This Means for Startups If you're a European defense tech startup, this is huge. You now have a direct line to one of the biggest names in aerospace and defense. And with an office in London, you don't have to cross the Atlantic to get their attention. Lockheed Martin Ventures is looking for technologies that complement their national security capabilities. If you're working on something that could help meet current and future customer mission needs, they want to hear from you. ### Key Takeaways - Lockheed Martin Ventures is investing $100 million in European DefenseTech startups. - The firm is opening a London office to be closer to its partners. - Portfolio companies get access to Lockheed Martin's engineering talent and expertise. - The fund's investment capacity recently jumped from $400 million to $1 billion. This is a big deal for the European startup ecosystem. It shows that American investors see real value in what European defense tech companies are building. And with a dedicated office on the ground, we can expect to see even more collaboration and investment in the years to come.