London, United Kingdom · Venture Capital General Catalyst is a global venture capital firm that expanded aggressively into Europe through its London office. The firm invests across stages from seed to growth and has become one of the most active US-origin VCs in European tech, backing companies including Helsing, Parloa, Mistral AI, and PhysicsX. General Catalyst focuses on AI, defense tech, enterprise software, and climate, and manages over $25 billion in total assets.
Štrbské Pleso, Slovakia · Event Central European geopolitics-meets-technology summit in Bratislava organized by GLOBSEC, covering cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, energy transition, and CEE innovation policy. Draws diplomats, defense-tech founders, and security-policy researchers. By invitation and application.
Munich, Germany · Startup Helsing is a defense technology company building AI software systems for democratic governments and armed forces in Europe. Its platform fuses data from radar, drones, optical and infrared sensors to provide real-time situational awareness and operational decision support. After major growth financing in 2025, Helsing expanded across core European defense programs and into autonomous systems, including the HX-2 platform.
Kyiv, Ukraine · Event Kyiv Miltech Conference is a Ukrainian defense-technology gathering that brings together military end-users, defense-tech startups, manufacturers, investors and policymakers to align frontline needs with industry capabilities and available funding. The 2026 edition features five themed tracks covering business, product development, AI applications, sales strategies and startup showcases.
Tallinn, Estonia · Event Kultuurikatel-hosted summit with 3,500+ attendees and 600+ investors. The Latitude59 Pitch Competition can reach EUR 1M in syndicate investment and the program heavily features digital-state and defense-tech themes.
Athens, Greece · Venture Capital Marathon Venture Capital was founded in 2017 by George Tziralis and Panos Papadopoulos (co-founder of BugSense, acquired by Splunk) in Athens to back ambitious Greek and diaspora founders building global technology companies. Fund I reached €32M and Fund II expanded to €70M; Fund III closed at €75M in May 2025 (with €20M from EIF), bringing total AUM to approximately €175M. The fund leads seed rounds of €500K–€1M in sectors including cybersecurity, AI, defense tech, robotics, and energy. Notable portfolio companies include Hack The Box (cybersecurity training, $55M Series B led by Carlyle) and Augmenta (precision agriculture robotics, acquired by CNH Industrial for $110M).
Osijek, Croatia · Startup Orqa is an Osijek-based hardware company that builds high-performance FPV (first-person-view) goggles, video transmission systems, and drone software used by professional drone racers, industrial inspection teams, cinematography crews, and — increasingly — military users in Ukraine and elsewhere who need low-latency remote flight at scale. The company's flagship FPV.One family of goggles became a reference product in the high-end racing scene for its micro-OLED displays, refresh rates, and firmware openness, and the team has since expanded into digital HD video links and open FPV platforms. Orqa runs a full electronics design and manufacturing operation out of Slavonia, which is unusual in a region better known for software, and has become a visible example of defense-and-dual-use hardware built on a European open supply chain. For the directory it rounds out Croatia's industrial-tech picture alongside Rimac's automotive deep tech and Infobip's telecom infrastructure.
Warsaw, Poland · Venture Capital Early-stage angel fund led by Bartek Pucek, focused on globally scalable technology startups. The fund is known for founder-friendly terms, fast decision cycles, and co-investments with international VC firms.
Riga, Latvia · Event Baltic startup conference at Hanzas Perons with 2,300+ attendees and 250+ investors. Known for the Fifty Founders Battle (EUR 200k+ syndicate prizes) and strong Day 0 networking side events.
Şanlıurfa, Turkey · Event Turkey's flagship aerospace and technology festival at Istanbul Airport, attracting 1.7 million+ visitors with technology competitions, drone racing, space-tech exhibits, and a startup expo. Organized by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation with government backing. Free admission. Particularly strong on defense tech, aerospace, and hardware.