Monava raises 5M SEK to scale drone-detection tech across Europe
What's the deal? Finnish-Swedish defence tech startup MonavaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised 5,000,000 SEK (≈$522,824) in an early VC round led by Max Villman's Gungnir Capital. Foundry VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Hede CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also participated.
What's the endgame? Monava is building sensors that use advanced acoustics and AI to detect, track, and classify drones without emitting signals themselves. The compact sensors can be mounted on anything from vehicles to small vessels, and the company will use the fresh capital to commercialise the technology.
Why now? The tech is already deployed across the Nordics and Ukraine through a defence procurement contract, and Monava says a growing order book requires rapid scaling. "The number of inquiries about our sensors exceeds our expectations daily," said chief executive officer Alexander Hebbe.
The investors: This is Gungnir Capital's third investment and its first in a Swedish company. The firm, named after Odin's spear in Norse mythology and run by former fighter pilot Villman, has previously backed Finnish airship maker Kelluu and Danish autonomous freight-drone startup AcodyneDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Villman framed the deal around battlefield reality. "Today drones account for roughly 70 percent of all losses in the war in Ukraine, and we have to develop the means to handle that threat," he said. "Monava solves a real operational problem with technology that works in the field, and that is exactly the kind of company Gungnir Capital exists to back."
By the numbers: Monava posted revenue of 1,100,000 SEK in 2025, with a profit of 25,000 SEK — modest figures that underline how early the company sits ahead of its planned expansion.
The signal: Counter-drone systems are drawing investor attention as European defence customers scramble to keep pace with a threat that, in Hebbe's words, "develops faster than most defence systems can handle." Monava's position at the intersection of AI, software, and hardware reflects where the sector's money is heading.
Read more: Breakit
Image credit: HawkeyeUK
