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 move across the Atlantic. It’s expanding its reach into European markets to invest its massive $1 billion fund in promising DefenseTech companies from across the continent. And it’s not just about writing checks—the firm is also opening a new office in London, with a goal of investing at least $100 million of that funding specifically in the United Kingdom and Europe. “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.” ### Why Europe? Why Now? Lockheed Martin Ventures’ plan to deploy part of its investment capacity in Europe comes at a time when the continent’s DefenseTech, dual-use, unmanned-systems, and sovereign-intelligence sectors are buzzing with activity. We’ve seen more than $1.25 billion raised by nine relevant companies recently, with $1.15 billion of that total coming from Quantum Systems’ Series D alone. The other disclosed rounds together account for approximately $99 million. UK-based comparators include London’s SatVu and Occam Industries, as well as Bristol’s Uplift360. That makes the United Kingdom—where Lockheed Martin Ventures intends to establish its European office—a visible part of this funding pipeline. “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,” 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 Quick Look at Lockheed Martin Ventures Founded in 2007 with initial funding of $100 million, Lockheed Martin Ventures is the investment arm of the American aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin. Since its founding, it has matured 60 companies to become suppliers. To date, it has invested more than $500 million in over 120 companies. Over the past two years alone, 25 companies have been added to the portfolio. Apart from capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures provides portfolio companies with access to resources such as their engineering talent, technologies and research, and the full suite of Lockheed Martin’s business and technical expertise. It’s not just about money—it’s about helping startups scale with world-class support. ### The Biggest Boost in Fund History The 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. That’s a massive jump, and it signals serious intent. Using a portion of that enhanced funding capacity, Lockheed Martin Ventures Europe will 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 is available on their site. ### What This Means for European Startups For European startups in defense, dual-use tech, unmanned systems, and sovereign intelligence, this is a huge opportunity. Lockheed Martin Ventures isn’t just another VC—they bring deep industry expertise, a massive network, and a track record of helping companies scale. If you’re building in these spaces, this could be your chance to get on their radar. The key takeaway? The transatlantic defense tech ecosystem is getting stronger, and Lockheed Martin Ventures is betting big on Europe. Keep an eye on this space—more deals are likely coming.