Orbotix, a European defense tech startup focused on AI-powered autonomous drone systems, has secured €6.5 million in a pre-seed funding round to accelerate development of its next-generation capabilities. According to the company, this financing will support expansion of production infrastructure as well as refinement of drone swarming and AI technologies.

The investment round was led by BVVC Fund, with additional backing from Gustav Söhne Verwaltung GmbH & Co. KG and Leryon Global Holdings, the firm said. Orbotix was co-founded by Bogdan Ochiana (Romania) and Sebastian Straube (Poland), and maintains operations across Poland, Romania, and Spain.

Bogdan Ochiana, CEO and Co-founder, characterized the funding not merely as monetary support but as a strategic commitment to Europe’s defense sovereignty. He emphasized that Orbotix’s mission is to help reshape Europe’s technological posture in autonomous systems. Meanwhile, Straube indicated that establishing such capabilities, particularly in the eastern flank of Europe where exposure to modern threats is acute, is of growing strategic importance.

With the new capital, Orbotix plans to accelerate its AI research and development efforts—especially in drone swarm coordination—and to roll out micromanufacturing sites across the EU. The company envisions modular, interoperable systems that can be deployed rapidly and scaled across defense networks.

Joe Musselman, Founder & Managing Partner at BVVC, stated that future conflicts will turn on autonomy, and that Orbotix is already building those capabilities in Europe at operational scale. He cited the company’s distributed manufacturing model and “operator-first” design philosophy as key differentiators.

Orbotix frames itself as part of a broader transformation in European defense innovation, one shifting away from protracted procurement and traditional prime contractors toward agile, software-driven ventures. The company says it draws lessons from U.S. initiatives that fostered defense tech startups outside conventional prime ecosystems.

For legal aspects of the transaction, Orbotix enlisted Baker McKenzie and Kondracki Celej as legal counsel. The startup identifies its founding impetus in part as a response to intensified security pressures across Europe—most notably underscored by the conflict in Ukraine.