VÆRIDION's $134M Raise: The Electric Plane That Could Change Regional Travel

Jan de Vries · 2026-11-05

Munich-based aviation startup VÆRIDION just pulled off a funding combo that's turning heads. The company secured $32.4 million (€30M) in a Series A2 round and was selected for a $102 million (€94.5M) grant from the European Commission's Innovation Fund. That's a combined $134.4 million (€124.5M) — and it's a big deal for electric aviation. The equity round was co-led by Dutch investors SHIFT Invest and Invest-NL, with existing backers World Fund, Project A, and Vsquared Ventures joining in. Alexander Rittweger, founder of PAYBACK and a DeepTech investor, also participated. To date, VÆRIDION has raised about $64.8 million (€60M), not counting the new EU grant. So what's the plan for all that cash? The $32.4 million will fund the development of VÆRIDION's first certification-conforming aircraft and more propulsion testing. The $102 million grant supports the CAROLUS project, which aims to build and scale a final assembly facility at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport near Munich. The project was one of only 12 large-scale projects selected from 358 applications, making VÆRIDION the only German company and the only aviation project in that category. The grant is subject to a final agreement expected in 2027. ### The Microliner: A Different Kind of Electric Plane At the heart of VÆRIDION's vision is the Microliner, a nine-passenger aircraft designed for regional hops of about 250 miles (400 km). It combines a glider-inspired wing with patented modular battery technology and a multi-engine propulsion system driving a single propeller. The plane is being developed in both passenger and cargo configurations, with a target range of 250 miles carrying nine passengers under Instrument Flight Rules, or up to 340 miles (550 km) with four passengers. Ivor van Dartel, founder and CEO of VÆRIDION, puts it this way: "Over the past year, we have turned the Microliner from a validated design into hardware, with exceptional capital efficiency. Our propulsion and battery technology is now being tested at our own facility in Oberpfaffenhofen. This equity round enables us to build our first conforming aircraft. The Commission's selection of CAROLUS supports the next step: establishing the industrial capability for Microliner production. Building out of Europe, our mission is to make regional flying commercially viable and accessible again, in Europe and for operators worldwide." Daria Saharova, Managing Partner at World Fund, adds: "For the past half century, Airbus has shown that Europe can build aircraft the world buys. VÆRIDION is writing the next chapter with a fully electric aircraft, built in Bavaria, with a clear path to certification. Investing in the future of aviation is Europe's power play, and I am proud to back Ivor and the team." ### A Wave of European Aerospace Funding VÆRIDION's announcement comes amid a flurry of other European funding rounds for next-generation aircraft and aerospace technologies in 2026. Here's a quick rundown: - **AURA AERO** (France) raised $54 million (€50M) in Series B to advance its electric and hybrid-electric aircraft programs. - **HyLight** (France) secured $14 million (€13M) for hydrogen-powered autonomous airships. - **Greenjets** (UK) landed $37.8 million (€35M) for aerospace propulsion tech. - **Skyfly** (UK) raised $9.6 million (€8.91M) for electric aircraft development. - **Acodyne** (Denmark) secured $2.7 million (€2.5M) for unmanned cargo aircraft. - **SPREAD AI** (Germany) raised $27 million (€25M) for industrial engineering software serving aerospace, among others. Together with VÆRIDION's $32.4 million equity round, these selected announcements represent approximately $177.6 million (€164.4M) in financing, excluding VÆRIDION's separately selected EU grant. ### Why It Matters Regional aviation has been struggling for years. Many short routes have become economically unviable with conventional aircraft, leaving smaller communities disconnected. VÆRIDION's Microliner aims to change that by making short-distance flying profitable again — and doing it with zero emissions. If successful, it could open up a new era of clean, affordable regional travel. The company was founded in 2021 by former Airbus manager Ivor van Dartel and is headquartered in Munich. With this latest funding, VÆRIDION is one step closer to bringing its electric regional plane to the skies.