Gambit
Man-portable quadcopter for ISR and short-range strike.
Development
- Unveiled
- Jun 2026
Photo: STARK · Editorial use (company media kit)
Startup · Germany
STARK
HQ Berlin, GermanyFounded 2024
AI-enabled unmanned systems for defense.
StartupDevelopment
Oct 1, 2026News (high significance)Bundeswehr stellt 2027 ihr erstes Drohnenregiment aufSicherheit & VerteidigungOct 1, 2026NewsINLEAP Photonics Receives €20 Million to Scale Laser-Based Drone DefenceGoPhotonicsSep 23, 2026NewsKamikaze-Drohnen für Bundeswehr: Lieferung soll bald startenshz.de (dpa)May 29, 2026NewsDrone start-up Stark set for €2.5bn valuation in new fundraising
- Oct 1, 2026News (high significance)Sicherheit & VerteidigungBundeswehr stellt 2027 ihr erstes Drohnenregiment auf
- Oct 1, 2026NewsGoPhotonicsINLEAP Photonics Receives €20 Million to Scale Laser-Based Drone Defence
- Sep 23, 2026Newsshz.de (dpa)Kamikaze-Drohnen für Bundeswehr: Lieferung soll bald starten
- May 29, 2026NewsDrone start-up Stark set for €2.5bn valuation in new fundraising
Funding4 rounds · $647M
- Equity raised
- $647M
- Latest
- $570MStage undisclosed · Jun 23, 2026
- Last valuation
- $1.20B?Basis not stated · Stage undisclosed · Feb 13, 2026
Aug 21, 2025Jun 23, 2026
| Announced | Stage | Valuation | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 21, 2025 | Undisclosed | $500M | Post-money |
| Feb 13, 2026 | Undisclosed | $1.20B | Basis not stated |
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2026 | Undisclosed | $570M | — | Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital | Advent, Air Street Capital, NATO Innovation Fund, Project A | Reported |
| Feb 13, 2026 | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | $1.20B? | — | Founders Fund | Reported |
| Aug 21, 2025 | Undisclosed | $62.0M | $500M | Sequoia Capital | 8VC, In-Q-Tel, NATO Innovation Fund, Project A, Thiel Capital | Reported |
| 2024 | Seed | $15.0M | — | Sequoia Capital | — | Reported |
- UndisclosedLed by Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital$570MJun 23, 2026
- UndisclosedFeb 13, 2026
- $62.0MAug 21, 2025
- SeedLed by Sequoia Capital$15.0M2024
Raised counts equity rounds; debt, secondary sales and grants are totaled separately. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the announcement month's average rate. A ~ marks an estimated or converted amount.
Systems4
Minerva
Command‑and‑control software that plans, coordinates and executes unmanned weapons systems across land, air and sea.
Maturity not rated
Vanta 6
An unmanned surface vessel for reconnaissance and maritime strike missions.
Maturity not rated
Virtus
STARK’s flagship software‑defined one‑way loitering munition for rapid deployment and precision strikes.
Maturity not rated
Newest unveiled first. Open a system for its milestone timeline, components and sources.
People3
- Johannes Schaback
Founder
- Uwe Horstmann
Founder
- Uwe Horstmann
CEO
Sources19
Show all 19 sources and supporting evidence
Profile5
- 1CompanySTARK | Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital · Supports Organization · founded year
“STARK was founded in 2024 in response to critical operational demands from Ukraine.”
- 2CompanySTARK Defence
STARK · Supports Organization · name, Organization · website
“STARK Defence: Rapidly Developed. Precisely Deployed.”
- 3DatabaseSTARK — hq city
Supports Organization · country, Organization · hq city
“Location:Berlin,Berlin,Germany”
- 4
- 5
Systems4
- 6
Tectonic · Jun 9, 2026 · Supports System
“Gambit is a man-portable quadcopter designed for ISR and short-range strikes”
- 7
STARK · Supports System
“Minerva was developed as a command and control (C2) software for the deployment of unmanned systems across land, air and maritime domains.”
- 8
STARK · Supports System
“VIRTUS ## OUR FLAGSHIP LOITERING MUNITION DESIGNED FOR RAPID DEPLOYMENT AND PRECISION STRIKES”
- 9
STARK · Supports System
“Vanta 6 is a six-metre, jet-driven unmanned surface vessel (USV) for ISR or sea-based strikes.”
Funding8
- 10
DroneXL · Jun 24, 2026 · Supports Funding round
“closed a €500 million (roughly $570 million) funding round this week led by Sequoia Capital and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund”
- 11
The Next Web · Jun 23, 2026 · Supports Funding round
“Other investors in the round include the NATO Innovation Fund, Döpfner Capital, Air Street Capital, 201 Ventures, and Project A.”
- 12
Bloomberg · Jun 23, 2026 · Supports Funding round · amount
“has raised €500 million ($570 million) in a fundraising round led by Sequoia Capital and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund”
- 13
Reuters · Feb 13, 2026 · Supports Funding round, Funding round · post money valuation usd
“Stark Defence took on new funding from investors a few weeks ago”
- 14
Benzinga via Yahoo Finance · Sep 1, 2025 · Supports Funding round · amount, Organization · ownership
“launched the company in 2024 with an initial $15 million investment from Sequoia”
- 15
Tech.eu · Aug 21, 2025 · Supports Funding round · amount
“has raised $62 million in fresh funding, with Sequoia Capital leading the round”
- 16
Resilience Media · Supports Funding round, Funding round · post money valuation usd
“Others in the round include Thiel Capital, the NATO Innovation Fund, In-Q-Tel,, Project A, Döpfner Capital, and Joe Lonsdale’s firm 8VC.”
- 17
Sacra · Supports Funding round
“Sequoia Capital led both the initial $15 million investment, which valued Stark at approximately €90 million in October 2024, and the recent growth round.”
People2
- 18
app.dealroom.co · Supports Role
“(SKD SE) is a German defence-tech company founded in 2024 by Florian Seibel, Uwe Horstmann and Johannes Schaback that builds AI-enabled, software-defined unmanned systems—including the OWE-V Virtus VTOL loitering munition, Vanta unmanned surface vessels and Minerva mission-control software—for Europ”
- 19
STARK · Supports Role
““I have helped build hundreds of companies across Europe—I have never seen anything like STARK before,” said Uwe Horstmann, CEO of STARK.”
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.