German deeptech company INLEAP Photonics has raised approximately €20 million in seed funding to scale its laser-based counter-drone technology for defence and critical infrastructure applications. The round was led by UVC Partners, with participation from HTGF in Germany, Poland's Balnord, Estonia's Sentris and Denmark's Scale Capital.

INLEAP Photonics develops high-precision, ultra-fast laser beam steering systems for neutralising unmanned aerial vehicles. Its technology is being developed for both military applications and the protection of civilian and critical infrastructure, including airports, energy facilities and data centres.

The company is developing its systems as demand for counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) increases amid the growing use of drones and concerns over the risks they pose to defence and civilian sites.

INLEAP Photonics is working with customers and partners including the German Federal Ministry of Defence and the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub. The company has also entered into a strategic partnership with German defence technology company STARK Defence.

According to Marius Lammers, founder and CEO of INLEAP Photonics, the company is seeing increased demand for its technology and will use the financing to expand its manufacturing and delivery capacity.

Our technology has reached the market and we are seeing strong order intake. We are now investing in manufacturing, quality assurance, sales and service to meet demand and deliver our systems at greater scale,

said Lammers.

The funding will be used to expand production and testing capacity, further develop the company's core laser technology and grow its sales, customer support and service operations in Germany and other European markets. INLEAP Photonics also plans to invest in quality assurance and certification processes for deployment in industrial and security-critical environments, while continuing to expand its team.

Related articles