Like many, I’ve seen how fast the conversation around energy and innovation has evolved over the past 3 years, increasingly intersecting with issues of sovereignty and defence. Policymakers and investors alike now finally view energy, sovereignty security as clearly overlapping priorities (if you don’t already, follow Ann Mettler for excellent insights).
In Europe, for instance, the European Defence Fund 2025 (€1B+) includes topics on energy resilience, which is no longer a side theme but a capability area within defence R&D. In parallel, NATO DIANA accelerator selected more than 70 companies for 2025 across different sectors, including 14 in the energy and power area. A large part is European.
Here are a few European (incl. UK) companies aligning with this energy-defence nexus that I came accross these last few months:
• 🇪🇪 PowerUP Energy Technologies proposes portable fuel cell generators used to power drones, Starlink and communications. Tested by the Estonian Defence Forces in January 2025 and now crowdfunded to equip Ukrainian frontline teams with the UP1K unit.
• 🇳🇱 Robin Radar Systems started with bird detection for windfarms and airports. This company now delivers drone detection and airspace security for many different sites and raised $26M in January 2025 to scale these defence applications in particular.
• 🇬🇧 Inductive Power Projection proposes wireless power transfer up to 50 kW for unmanned underwater and unmanned aerial systems and for subsea defence assets with its startup DSIP.
• 🇫🇮 Winse Power Ltd. is a Finnish deeptech that uses “power over light” to send energy to sensors, drones and remote systems where cabling is impossible.
• 🇬🇧 Hydrogen Refinery is another UK startup that builds container-sized units to supply clean fuel to ships, mobile forces or islanded infrastructure.
• 🇬🇧 Pure Alchemi, a Scottish company, proposes mobile and modular chemical looping generators that turn local waste into power. Useful for forward operating bases with no/limited logistics margin.
• 🇸🇪 BL!XT is a Swedish company that developed the “X Verter”, a solution that makes microgrids and storage systems easier to protect and reconfigure. The company raised €5M in 2024 and is now scaling into military-grade power control.
• 🇸🇪 APR Technologies AB proposes an advanced thermal/power management solution for space and defence electronics (high power radar, power electronics). The company received ca. €1.8M from the Swedish Energy Agency to ramp production
• 🇸🇰 InoBat, launched the E10 cell last May, the first battery cell in Europe designed specifically for military drones / unmanned aerial systems.
Curious to hear which other European startups you see at the crossroads of energy and defence !?
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