Stark Defence Funding and Valuation (June 2026)
Stark Defence, a Berlin-based defence technology startup founded in 2024, has raised €500 million ($570 million) in a recent funding round, achieving a valuation of €3.2 billion (Bergen & Kyriasoglou, 2026; Lunden, 2026). The funding round was led by Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund, with participation from the NATO Innovation Fund, Project A, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, Advent, and Döpfner Capital (Coulter, 2026; Lunden, 2026). Prior to this round, Stark had raised approximately €140 million to €160 million, including a $62 million Series B round led by Sequoia Capital in August 2025 (Bergen & Kyriasoglou, 2026; Laoun, 2025; Stanciuc, 2026).
The company plans to allocate more than 80% of the newly raised capital to research and development (R&D) and manufacturing expansion (Coulter, 2026; Stanciuc, 2026). R&D efforts will focus on electronic warfare capabilities, while manufacturing goals include scaling production to thousands of systems per month (Coulter, 2026; Stark Defence, 2026a). Stark operates facilities across Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Sweden, including a 40,000-square-foot production site in Swindon, England (Stanciuc, 2026; Stark Defence, 2026a).
Bundeswehr Contract and Operations
In February 2026, the German Bundeswehr awarded Stark Defence a framework contract for the Virtus loitering munition system (Page, 2026; Stark Defence, 2026b). The initial contract is valued at €269 million, with options that could expand the total value to €2.86 billion (Page, 2026). The Virtus system is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone with a 130-kilometer range, a 90-minute endurance, and a 5-kilogram payload capacity (Laoun, 2025; Stark Defence, 2026b).
The procured systems are intended to equip the Bundeswehr’s 45th Armoured Brigade, which is stationed in Lithuania as part of NATO’s eastern flank reinforcement (Page, 2026; Reuters, 2026). Stark’s CEO, Uwe Horstmann, stated that deliveries under this contract will commence in 2026 (Stark Defence, 2026b). The company has also established a partnership with TDW Gesellschaft für verteidigungstechnische Wirksysteme mbH to develop warheads for the Virtus system (O’Brien, 2025).
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References
Bergen, M., & Kyriasoglou, C. (2026, June 23). Sequoia backs drone startup Stark at €3.2 billion valuation. Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-06-23/sequoia-founders-fund-back-german-drone-startup-stark-at-3-5-billion-valuation
Coulter, M. (2026, June 23). Drones startup Stark confirms €500m raise backed by Sequoia and Founders Fund. Sifted. Drones startup Stark confirms €500m raise backed by Sequoia and Founders Fund | Sifted
Laoun, J. (2025, August 22). German startup Stark raises $62M led by Sequoia Capital. Vestbee. German startup Stark raises $62M led by Sequoia Capital | Vestbee
Lunden, I. (2026, June 23). Stark confirms monster €500M funding round, reportedly approaching a €3B valuation. Resilience Media. Stark confirms monster €500M funding round, reportedly approaching a €3B valuation – Resilience Media
O’Brien, E. (2025, August 21). Stark is raising $60M at a $500M valuation. Tectonic Defense. Stark is Raising $60M at a $500M Valuation
Page, C. (2026, February 12). Germany awards Stark and Helsing contracts to deliver next-generation strike drones. Resilience Media. Germany awards Stark and Helsing contracts to deliver next-generation strike drones – Resilience Media
Reuters. (2026, February 25). Germany approves reduced long-term strike drone purchasing plan. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/germany-slash-long-term-strike-drone-purchasing-plan-document-shows-2026-02-25/
Stanciuc, A.-M. (2026, June 23). Stark Defence raises €500M led by Sequoia and Founders Fund at a valuation above €3.5 billion. The Next Web. Stark Defence raises €500M led by Sequoia and Founders Fund at a valuation above €3.5 billion
Stark Defence. (2026a). STARK Defence: Rapidly developed. Precisely deployed. https://stark-defence.com/en
Stark Defence. (2026b, February 26). STARK to deliver loitering munition system Virtus to the Bundeswehr. https://stark-defence.com/en/news/stark-to-deliver-virtus-to-the-bundeswehr