Ground A raises €9.1M pre-seed to bring laser drone-killer to market
What's the deal? German defence startup Ground ADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised €9.1 million in pre-seed funding to bring its GA 1000 counter-drone system to market. Vsquared VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with drone maker Quantum Systems joining as a corporate investor.
Who else is in? Backers include GRIFDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Robin CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, ABACON, Leblon CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and OVNI CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Notably, Quantum Systems co-founder Florian SeibelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → invested personally — backing a startup whose laser could one day compete with his own products. "I hope that my smile convinced him," CEO Tobias Brune tells Tech Funding News.
What's the product? The GA 1000 detects small, fast-moving drones, uses autonomous targeting Brune calls "the brain of the system," and destroys threats with a high-energy laser. It fits on a standard Euro pallet, can be carried by four people, and integrates with NATO command-and-control systems and platforms like tanks.
Why now? Brune, an engineer with a PhD from RWTH Aachen, founded Ground A in January after seeing videos of cheap FPV drones causing serious damage. The GA 1000 went from prototype to testing in seven months, and the team grew from five people in March to 25 by September.
The competition: Brune splits the market into heavy systems — RheinmetallDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and MBDADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s HoWiSM, producing 50 to over 100 kilowatts but not fully operational until 2029 — and lighter, software-integrated systems like his own. ASX-listed DroneShield, valued at roughly $1.1 billion by September 2026, takes yet another approach, jamming drones with radio frequency rather than lasers.
What could go wrong? Brune concedes the fight between drones and countermeasures is "a cat-and-mouse game," as drones get cheaper and more autonomous. The funds will go toward prototypes, first machines, and rapid hiring to stay ahead of new threats.
The signal: The round lands in the top 5% of all-time seed-stage deals in its industry by size. "The ability to counter drones effectively and cost-efficiently is becoming a key technology for Europe's security," said Benedikt von Schoeler, general partner at Vsquared — a sign of how fast counter-drone tech is moving up Europe's defence agenda.
Read more: Tech Funding News
Image credit: Ground A
