From Semafor, June 17:
The News
NATO’s €1 billion venture capital fund announced its first investments on Tuesday, as the Western security alliance seeks to strengthen its technological edge amid growing geopolitical tensions.
The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) has invested in four “deep tech” startups — firms seeking to solve substantial scientific or engineering challenges. They are ARX Robotics, a German company making unmanned ground vehicles; Fractile, a startup looking to speed up the training of AI models; iCOMAT, which makes lightweight materials; and Space Forge, a company seeking to move manufacturing to space.
NIF will also support several VC funds that invest in cutting-edge technology with military capabilities, focusing in particular on European regions that have limited access to early-stage funding....
....MUCH MORE
A word of warning for potential co-investors from 2016's "The CIA’s Venture-Capital Firm, Like Its Sponsor, Operates in the Shadows"
This is a pretty good look at the spook shop vehicle.
As a side note, back in the early years of this century, especially immediately after the mass murders of 9/11, it was thought that investing alongside In-Q-Tel was the cool thing to do.
It took a while for the realization to sink in that they weren't necessarily in it for the money return to the VC's.
If interested see also:
January 2024's "Do venture capitalists want forever war?"
April 2024's "The Pentagon’s Silicon Valley Problem".
May 2024: Modern War: "Anduril Is Building Out the Pentagon’s Dream of Deadly Drone Swarms"
