NRW.BANK backs its first defence startup with €1M round for Skylance
What's the deal? SkylanceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a German drone-defence startup, has raised more than €1 million in a seed round led by NRW.BANK, marking the promotional bank's first investment in a defence startup. The Investment Advisory Club Düsseldorf (IACD e.V.) also participated.
The details: NRW.BANK is converting a €200,000 convertible loan into an equity stake and adding €300,000 in fresh capital. Founded in 2025 in Hürth near Cologne by Philipp Bohne, Dr. Tobias de Taillez, and Dr. Olaf Wollersheim, Skylance develops the "DroneHammer," a laser-guided interceptor that destroys small drones.
Why it matters: The roughly 700g projectile travels at more than 600 kilometres per hour and combines laser energy, software algorithms, and image processing to track targets. At under €3,000 per unit, the company says it is far cheaper than conventional systems, making low-cost drones more economical to counter.
Why now? Drone threats in Germany have grown sharply. The Federal Criminal Police Office logged more than 1,000 suspicious drone flights in 2025, and an explosives-laden drone was recently found at Leipzig/Halle airport.
What they said: "Startups can make an important contribution to the security and resilience of our country with new technologies," said Gabriela Pantring, chair of NRW.BANK's board. "With our stake in Skylance, we are creating the necessary financial foundation for this" (translated from German).
What's the endgame? Skylance is testing and refining the technology with the Bundeswehr. The new capital will speed that work and prepare for industrialisation and series production.
The signal: The round lands in the top 25% of comparable deals by size, a modest but notable ticket for a state-backed lender entering defence tech — a sector drawing fresh capital as Europe reassesses its security needs.
Image credit: The Arkansas National Guard
