# European Defense Startups Attract Record Funding

Dealroom forecasts that European defense startups will raise a record **$10.5 billion in 2026**, up from $2.6 billion in 2025, with investment concentrated in drones and autonomous systems and activity particularly strong in Germany and Munich. For procurement professionals, this is a signal of a growing defense-technology supplier base—not a government award, solicitation, or confirmed procurement budget.

- Acquisition teams researching European drone and autonomous-systems suppliers can use the forecast as market context when assessing the expanding startup ecosystem.
- Contractors may find a larger pool of privately funded firms with which to evaluate potential suppliers or teaming relationships; the forecast does not establish that any company has received a government contract.
- Companies should distinguish the projected private investment from government-funded opportunities when planning bids and business development.

**Jurisdictions:** international
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Published:** October 05, 2026

### Government Entities
- European Union (EU)
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

### Vendors
- Helsing (startup funding recipient)
- Quantum Systems (startup funding recipient)
- Stark (startup funding recipient)
- Harmattan AI (startup funding recipient)
- Cambridge Aerospace (startup funding recipient)

### Sources
- [European defense startups to raise record $10.5 billion in 2026, Dealroom forecasts](https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/10/05/european-defense-startups-to-raise-record-105-billion-in-2026-dealroom-forecasts) - Defense News