Stendr, a Norwegian counter-drone startup led by Aleksander Leonard Larsen, who co-founded blockchain gaming unicorn Sky Mavis, has raised a $5.4M oversubscribed pre-seed from RainFall, ACME, SkyFall, and a consortium of European defence and tech investors.<\/em><\/p>\n Stendr<\/span><\/a>, a Norwegian defence technology<\/a> startup developing AI-driven systems to detect and track drones, has raised $5.4 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round. <\/span><\/p>\n The round was co-led by RainFall, ACME, and SkyFall, with participation from Sisyphus, Antler, StartupLab, Off Piste, and And\u00f8ya Ventures, alongside a syndicate of global technology founders and investors. <\/span><\/p>\n The company is headquartered in Oslo and is building what it describes as a vertically integrated stack of hardware, software, and artificial intelligence focused on drone defence.<\/span><\/p>\n TNW City Coworking space – Where your best work happ<\/a>ens<\/p>\n A workspace designed for growth, collaboration, and endless networking opportunities in the heart of tech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Stendr\u2019s CEO and co-founder is Aleksander Leonard Larsen, who spent seven years as co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Sky Mavis, the Norwegian-founded gaming company behind Axie Infinity, one of the most prominent blockchain game<\/a>s of the early 2020s. <\/span><\/p>\n Sky Mavis reached a $3 billion valuation in October 2021 after a $150 million Series<\/a> B led by Andreessen Horowitz, making it one of the few European-rooted unicorns in the blockchain gaming sector. <\/span><\/p>\n In March 2022, the company became the victim of the largest cryptocurrency hack in history at the time: North Korea\u2019s Lazarus Group exploited a vulnerability in the Ronin Network, the Ethereum sidechain that underpins Axie Infinity, stealing approximately $620 million in cryptocurrency. <\/span><\/p>\n Sky Mavis reimbursed affected users from its own balance sheet and raised an additional $150 million from Binance to cover the shortfall. Larsen later cited the experience as formative: \u201cAfter what I\u2019ve seen, I no longer take security for granted. Resilience must be built deliberately. That\u2019s where I\u2019m putting my energy: defence.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Stendr\u2019s initial focus is on counter-drone technology: AI-driven multi-sensor systems embedded in cost-efficient hardware platforms that can detect, track, and provide situational awareness against low-cost autonomous drones in operational environments. <\/span><\/p>\n Larsen has framed the problem in terms that echo the Ukraine conflict, where mass-produced commercial drones costing a few hundred dollars have repeatedly neutralised assets worth millions: \u201cAt Stendr, we are building the technology to find them, track them, and give defenders the information to act, fully sovereign to Europe.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The sovereignty framing is deliberate, Europe\u2019s recent push to reduce defence dependence on the US has made indigenous capability a political priority, and And\u00f8ya Ventures, one of Stendr\u2019s backers, is connected to Norway\u2019s And\u00f8ya Space Centre, reflecting the Nordic region\u2019s growing role in sovereign space and defence infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n The counter-drone market is one of the fastest-growing segments in defence technology. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global counter-UAS market is projected to grow from approximately $6.6 billion in 2025 to around $20.3 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of roughly 25%. <\/span><\/p>\n The EU\u2019s European Defence Industry Programme, adopted in March 2026 with a \u20ac1.47 billion budget for 2026\u201327, dedicates \u20ac30 million specifically to the joint procurement of integrated counter-drone systems by member states. <\/span><\/p>\n Stendr\u2019s pre-seed funding will be used to accelerate development of its AI multi-sensor technology, expand its engineering and hardware capabilities, and support deployment for defence applications.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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