Portugal's Beyond Vision raises €28M to scale drone production for defence
What's the deal? Portuguese drone maker Beyond VisionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → raised €28 million ($31.5 million) in an early VC round to expand industrial capacity and push into defence and critical-infrastructure markets abroad. Índico Capital Partners and Lince CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → co-led, with ActiveCapDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — an investor since 2024 — adding to its stake.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2013, the company builds autonomous aerial systems powered by AI algorithms, paired with a cloud management platform. It is a registered NATO supplier and takes part in European defence exercises.
Where's the money going? Beyond Vision will split the capital three ways: scaling industrial production, boosting AI research and new cloud features, and expanding into new markets. The raise follows the company reaching 150 staff and beating its 2025 revenue estimates.
Why now? European investment in drones and defence tech is accelerating. In July, the EU announced an industrial partnership with Ukraine and €1 billion for drone capabilities.
"The current geopolitical context and the strengthening of European defence investment are creating new opportunities for tech companies able to compete internationally," said Tomás Lavin Peixe, head of venture capital at Lince Capital (translated from Portuguese).
Índico president Stephan de Moraes said Beyond Vision "redefined this market by combining high-precision hardware with advanced artificial intelligence algorithms at a very competitive cost" (translated from Portuguese).
The signal: The round ranks in the 98th percentile among all-time early VC rounds for AI companies in Portugal, underscoring how private appetite is converting rising defence demand into local production capacity. It remains modest next to Europe's mega-rounds — fellow Portuguese firm Tekever raised $580 million in September — but marks real momentum for a homegrown manufacturer.
Read more: jornaleconomico.sapo.pt
Image credit: Beyond Vision
