Why NATO Is Betting on This London Startup's Jet Engines

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-17

A London-based aerospace company just secured a massive $40 million Series A round, and NATO is one of the investors betting on its technology. Here's why that matters. Greenjets, a company founded in 2022 by Anmol Manohar and Dr. Guido Monterzino, develops propulsion systems, aircraft platforms, and launch technologies for the next generation of aviation. The round was led by Blossom Capital, with participation from the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF), the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), and existing investors including Tanglin Ventures and NSFO Family Office. ### What Greenjets Actually Does Greenjets claims its patented engine technology makes aircraft safer and reduces the certification burden. The company has developed proprietary propulsion architectures that range from electric ducted fans to geared turbofan engines. Combined with advanced aircraft integration and low-cost manufacturing, these technologies enable aircraft that are quieter, faster, and more efficient. The company's integrated portfolio spans propulsion systems, aircraft platforms, and launch technologies, all built on a common technology stack. This approach allows for rapid iteration, production at scale, and deployment across multiple aerospace applications. ### The Defense Angle Here's where things get interesting. The conflict in Ukraine has fundamentally changed how Europe thinks about defense technology. According to Greenjets' founders, the war reinforced how important their technologies are in protecting lives and strengthening Europe's resilience. NIF put it even more bluntly: "Drones have become the defining weapon of modern conflict." Russia produced over 50,000 Shahed-class attack drones in 2025, up from 11,000 in 2024. As these drones get faster, the challenge of intercepting them becomes not just economic but capability-driven. Newer Shahed drone variants reach speeds of about 310 miles per hour. At those speeds, propeller-based interceptors struggle to catch up. Turbojets can, but they take up to two minutes to spool up and have constrained supply chains. Greenjets provides the underlying engines and airframes to close this gap. ### What the Funding Will Do The company plans to use this funding to accelerate its transition from development to production, supporting the delivery of thousands of systems over the next 12 months. Alongside scaling production, the investment will accelerate development across its propulsion and AI capabilities. Greenjets has already expanded its UK facilities from 12,000 to nearly 70,000 square feet and is on track to grow from 160 to more than 250 people. The company is under contract across multiple UK and international programs, with technologies progressing toward demonstration trials with the UK MOD and partners this year. ### Why This Matters for Startups For founders building in the defense or aerospace space, this funding round sends a clear signal: institutional investors, including NATO, are actively looking for technologies that address modern defense challenges. The key takeaway? If you can build something that solves a real, urgent problem, the funding will follow. Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, Partner at NIF, summed it up well: "The speed at which the defense and security drone industry is evolving means that propulsion is the constraint that determines whether an interceptor can close the gap on a 310 mph target or vice versa. Greenjets is addressing this at the engine and airframe level, meaningfully improving the performance of UAS and CUAS companies, without them having to solve propulsion independently." This is exactly the kind of Allied supply-chain technology NIF was set up to back. And it's a reminder that in today's world, defense tech is not just about weapons—it's about building affordable capabilities that protect people, critical infrastructure, and national resilience.