Facts

• Segment: Defense
• Country: Germany
• Website: https://stark-defence.com/

Profile sections

• Summary
• Market context
• Products
• Facts
• Funding
• Investors
• Commercial
• Events
• Team
• Relationships
• Context tags
• Sources

Summary

STARK builds software-defined unmanned weapons systems for European and NATO defence users, spanning Virtus loitering munitions, Vanta USVs and Minerva command-and-control software. The Berlin company raised EUR 500 million in June 2026 at about a EUR 3. 5 billion valuation after a German armed-forces Virtus contract.

Market context

STARK builds AI-enabled unmanned systems, loitering munitions, unmanned surface vessels and mission software for defence autonomy, recce-strike and swarm operations.

Products

• Cascade OWE-T - Cascade
• Gambit OWE-Q - Gambit
• Minerva - Minerva
• Vanta USV Family - Vanta
• Virtus OWE-V - Virtus

Facts

• Website: https://stark-defence.com/
• HQ: Berlin, Berlin, Germany
• Segment: Defense
• Funding total: $642M
• Known funding rounds: 2
• Latest funding date: 2026-06-23

Funding

• 2026-06-23 - Growth funding - $580M - STARK raises EUR 500M at about EUR 3.5B valuation - source: sifted.eu
• 2025-08-22 - Growth funding - $62M - STARK closes 2025 growth round led by Sequoia Capital - source: tectonicdefense.com

Investors

• NATO Innovation Fund - Participant - Vc - 2 funding events - repeat backer - first seen 2025-08-22 - latest 2026-06-23
• Project A - Participant - Unknown - 2 funding events - repeat backer - first seen 2025-08-22 - latest 2026-06-23
• Sequoia Capital - Lead - Vc - 2 funding events - repeat backer - first seen 2025-08-22 - latest 2026-06-23
• 201 Ventures - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-06-23
• Advent - Participant - Unknown - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-06-23
• Air Street Capital - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-06-23
• Döpfner Capital - Participant - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-06-23
• Founders Fund - Lead - Vc - 1 funding event - first seen 2026-06-23

Commercial

2 commercial events; 2 contract awards; latest event 2026-02-26

• 2026-02-26 - Contract award - STARK to deliver Virtus loitering munition system to the Bundeswehr - source: stark-defence.com
• 2026-02-04 - Contract award - STARK wins first major international contract with a NATO member - source: stark-defence.com

Events

• 2026-06-23 - Funding - STARK raises EUR 500M at about EUR 3.5B valuation - The round follows earlier reports that STARK was targeting a smaller EUR 300 million raise.
• 2026-04-29 - Demonstration - STARK demonstrates Virtus and Minerva drone-swarm integration in Bundeswehr exercise - The exercise tested integration of reconnaissance drones, software and loitering munitions into a recce…
• 2026-04-23 - Partnership - STARK and INLEAP Photonics partner on laser-based C-UAS - The partnership is focused on bringing INLEAP FASTLIGHT SHIELD into relevant defence applications.
• 2026-03-12 - Partnership - STARK and Six Robotics partner on recce-strike capability - The integration links reconnaissance drones, loitering munitions and autonomy software for shorter sensor-to-shooter loops.
• 2026-02-26 - Contract Award - STARK to deliver Virtus loitering munition system to the Bundeswehr - The agreement was approved on 25 February 2026 and announced by STARK on 26 February 2026.
• 2026-02-13 - Facility Opening - STARK opens Ukraine R&D hub and Greece office - The Ukraine site is designed to support more than 200 specialists across R&D, integration, training and support.
• 2026-02-04 - Contract Award - STARK wins first major international contract with a NATO member - The package included 150 loitering munitions and 15 ISR drones.
• 2026-01-28 - Facility Opening - STARK expands to the Nordics with Stockholm presence - The move was tied to STARK’s partnership work with Norway-based Six Robotics.
• 2025-10-01 - Partnership - STARK and TDW partner on warhead integration for Virtus - The cooperation focused on integrating TDW’s LION STRIKE 110 warhead into Virtus.
• 2025-09-30 - Product Launch - STARK launches Vanta autonomous maritime vessels after NATO trials - The Vanta-4 and Vanta-6 are unmanned surface vessels designed for affordable mass production and ranges up to 900 nautic…
• 2025-08-22 - Funding - STARK closes 2025 growth round led by Sequoia Capital - The round took total disclosed funding to roughly $100 million before the 2026 EUR 500 million raise.
• 2025-02-10 - Product Launch - STARK unveils OWL miniature AI payload - OWL was presented as a smart miniature payload for unmanned systems.

Team

• Uwe Horstmann - Founder and CEO - Leads the company through scale-up, defence procurement engagement and industrial-base financing.
• Jan-Patrick Helmsen - Chief Sales Officer - Owns global sales, market development and new business fields for defence customers.
• Martin Rost - Chief Operating Officer - Leads operational-process and production scaling across STARK sites in Germany, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
• Johannes Arlt - Managing Director Nordics - Represents STARK in Nordic defence-industrial partnerships, including the Six Robotics recce-strike integration.

Relationships

• Virtus loitering munition systems - The Bundeswehr framework contract covers delivery of several thousand STARK Virtus loitering munition systems after successful qualification.
• Laser-based C-UAS - STARK and INLEAP Photonics are combining system expertise and laser technology for counter-UAS applications.
• Recce-strike integration - STARK and Six Robotics are integrating unmanned systems and autonomy software for joint recce-strike mission deployment.

Context tags

• Loitering munitions - Peer Group - Virtus is a software-defined one-way effector / loitering munition.
• Recce-strike systems - Workflow - STARK integrates Virtus, Minerva and ISR drones for recce-strike operations.
• Defence robotics builder - Peer Group - STARK builds unmanned weapons systems for European and NATO defence users.
• Defence UAS builder - Peer Group - Virtus is STARK’s flagship VTOL loitering munition system.
• Defense C2 software - Stack Layer - Minerva is STARK’s command-and-control software for multidomain operations.
• Maritime autonomy - Workflow - STARK’s Vanta family covers unmanned surface vessels for maritime defence missions.
• Unmanned surface vessels - Peer Group - STARK’s Vanta systems are autonomous maritime vessels.
• Contested defence environments - Customer Environment - Stark products are built for EW-contested and battlefield conditions.