Orbotix, a European defense technology company building AI-powered autonomous drone systems, has raised €6.5 million in strategic funding to speed product development and expand manufacturing across the EU. The round was led by BVVC Fund, with participation from Gustav Söhne Verwaltung GmbH & Co. KG and Leryon Global Holdings.
Founded by Bogdan Ochiana (Romania) and Sebastian Straube (Poland), Orbotix is headquartered in Poland with operations in Romania and Spain. The company designs autonomous aerial defense solutions for Europe’s operational needs and terrain, part of a broader push for technological and operational sovereignty on the continent.
“This investment is more than just capital — it’s a signal that the EU is ready to elevate defense to its full potential,” said Bogdan Ochiana, Co-founder and CEO. “Our generation will be measured by how we rise to the challenge now, not tomorrow, and we are proud to be among the innovators safeguarding the peace and prosperity our forefathers fought to achieve“.
The capital will accelerate AI capabilities, particularly drone swarming, and fund the rollout of distributed micromanufacturing sites within the European Union, aligning product roadmap and production with sovereign control and rapid scaling.
Strategic bet on European defense autonomy
Orbotix Industries was established in response to modern security threats, notably highlighted by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They design for defense forces, special operations units, and law enforcement agencies, while also developing solutions for critical infrastructure and public safety.
According to Sebastian Straube, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, “This marks not only a milestone for Orbotix, but also underscores the strategic importance of building such capabilities within Europe, with the emergence of a company like ours on the Eastern Flank ensuring that the region most exposed to modern threats leads in developing the technologies that will safeguard Europe’s future”.
Backing from BVVC was framed as a strategic bet on European defense autonomy. Joe Musselman, Founder & Managing Partner of Bravo Victor Venture Capital, said, “Swarm autonomy will decide outcomes on tomorrow’s battlefields. Orbotix is building it now, in Europe, at scale, and under allied control. Their distributed production model and operator-first design deliver the sovereign capacity NATO needs to prevail in a contested world.
At BVVC, we back founders who compress timelines and move capability from prototype to throughput at a wartime pace. Orbotix embodies that ethos. We are proud to back companies that move at a no-fail pace and understand that the United States and our allies must grow stronger together and win.”
Orbotix’s strategy fits a wider industry shift. Over the past decade, the U.S. defense ecosystem has opened space for software-driven startups that move faster than traditional primes and procurement cycles. Similar dynamics are now emerging in Europe, where new companies are focused on sovereign, mission-specific capabilities that can be produced and fielded at scale.
Positioning itself in that wave, Orbotix says it is building AI-driven, modular, and interoperable systems designed for collaborative operation, an approach it argues will help European forces become more autonomous and adaptive.
