Berlin's Stark raising €300M at €2.5B valuation — 18 months after founding
What's the deal? Stark, a Berlin-based kamikaze drone startup founded in 2024, is in talks to raise at least €300M at a valuation of roughly €2.5B, the Financial Times reported. If completed, the round would more than double its valuation from February 2026, when it crossed the €1B mark.
The company was co-founded by Florian SeibelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, who previously founded rival German drone maker Quantum Systems, and Johannes SchabackDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Stark builds autonomous loitering munitions — drones designed to hover over a target area, identify threats, and destroy them by self-destructing on impact.
Its flagship product, Virtus, autonomously identifies and strikes targets before detonating. The category is often called kamikaze drones.
Why now? European governments are pouring money into defence at an unprecedented pace. The EU's ReArm Europe plan aims to mobilise up to €800B in defence spending over four years. Germany's special defence fund, established after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has accelerated procurement of autonomous systems.
The European Defence Industry Programme, adopted in March 2026 with a €1.47B budget, dedicates specific funding for counter-drone and autonomous strike capabilities. Defence tech venture capital hit $49.1B globally in 2025, nearly double the prior year.
What could go wrong? Stark faced technical problems during military trials in Germany and the UK in 2025. The competitive landscape in European defence drones is also sharpening — Stark, Helsing, and Quantum Systems all operate from Germany, competing for the same military contracts, engineering talent, and investor capital.
The fact that Stark's founder previously built Quantum Systems adds a personal dimension to the rivalry.
The signal: The pace of valuation growth is extraordinary even by defence tech standards. Stark is not alone. Munich-based Helsing is raising $1.2B at an $18B valuation. Quantum Systems raised €340M in 2025 and is valued above €3B. US-based AndurilDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → raised $5B at a $61B valuation, doubling in less than a year.
Peter ThielDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → is an investor in both Quantum Systems and, according to the FT, in Stark's upcoming round. The broader pattern is clear: warfare is shifting toward low-cost autonomous weapons that can be produced and deployed at scale, and capital is following fast.
Read more: The Next Web
