Europe alone, and the state of defence tech
Issue 18: Inflection.xyz's state of defence tech report, John Biggs' analysis of how Europe needs to step up, and conference season arrives
Good afternoon from the team at Resilience Media
John Biggs wrote a provocative analysis called With America in Shambles, Europe Must Become Less Risk Averse, which I encourage you to read in full. I’ve been in many meetings over the last two weeks and what founders, investors, and policy makers keep repeating is that the US can no longer be relied on. Established US primes are looking for delivery partners in Europe as a way of avoiding penalties for working with other governments. If this is the case for such stable businesses, how does a startup navigate this world, especially startups focused on the defence of democracy?
We’d love to hear from you. Founders, how are you bracing your business against tariffs and other sanctions that are unfolding from America? Investors, how are you advising your portfolio companies in the midst of this uncertainty? Send me or John Biggs a note.
Elsewhere on Resilience Media this week:
Jonatan Luther-Bergquist spoke with us about his recent report on the state of defence tech. Read it here ‘Europe’s Defense Tech Moment: Why VCs Are Finally Paying Attention.’
Rohde & Schwarz Releases Multi-Band Jammer for Counter-Drone Operations
It is spring which means that conference season is ramping up. Take a look at the growing list of events this April and May in our Industry Events section below. It includes two events where we’re proud to be a media partner: UK UA Defence Tech Forum in London, and Latitude59 in Tallinn. We’ll be on site at both events; let us know if you will be, too.
-Leslie, co-founder, Resilience Media
As part of Jonatan Luther-Bergquist’s work at inflection.xyz, he has produced a complete and fascinating report on the state of defence in Europe. In it, he encourages European founders to see defense as an important investment channel, rather than shying away from it.
“New Defense is not only a market trend, it is a strategic imperative for European sovereignty, peace, and prosperity,” he wrote. “By building the technological and industrial foundations of a resilient defense ecosystem, Europe can ensure it is not only protected but also prepared to lead in an increasingly contested and multi-polar world.” He sat down with Resilience Media for a short interview on the report. Read it here.
Napoleon once offered that old chestnut to strategists who were too focused on victory to notice failure. But what if we aren’t talking about an enemy, but a temporarily addled ally?
All signs point to four years of chaos from the White House while existential threats—military, economic, and societal—mass on Europe’s borders. With all eyes on Wall Street, what must Europe do to protect Marszałkowska, the Champs-Élysées, and Unter den Linden?
Europe, in short, will have to stop waiting and start acting. Read more here.
UK – Ukraine Defence Tech Forum
25 April 2025, RUSI, London. Ukrainian and UK defence tech companies are developing their technologies and their effectiveness is being proven on the frontline. What is required now is to channel investment to enable rapid scaling-up and the advancement of these technologies in order to speed up their deployment. The Forum has been convened to bring together all key stakeholders – government, technology companies and VCs – for a timely discussion on how to achieve this.
Resilience Media readers receive a 25% discount on the registration fee. When registering on the Forum webpage simply enter the code Resilience25.
London Defence Tech Hackathon 2025
10 May 2025, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Our friends at Future Forces, Isembard and EDTH are hosting the 2nd London Defence Tech Hackathon to connect the UK’s brightest young engineering minds with cutting-edge startups, venture capitalists, and U.K. defence and national security leadership and users. Apply here.
Latitude59
May 21-23, 2025, Tallinn, Estonia. Latitude59 is the flagship startup and tech event from Estonia, running since 2012. In recent years, it has grown into a global platform, connecting ecosystems, communities and innovators who change the world and make it a better place. Resilience Media is proud to be a media partner for this year’s event, and we’re pleased to see more focus on defence and security at the conference. Register to attend here.
Investing
Venture capitalists ‘have lost their squeamishness about defence’
British Business Bank invests £36m into Osney Capital’s Fund 1
Europe
Blueprints: we live in the world Russia predicted
National Security
Creating a modernized defense technology frontier
Increasing Pace in Defence Acquisition
Startups
Exclusive: Quantum computing startup PsiQuantum raising at least $750 million, sources say