Good afternoon {{first_name}},
The capital flood is accelerating fast. According to the Financial Times, Helsing is reportedly closing a $1.2B funding round at an estimated $18B valuation. Europe’s defence market has fully entered venture scale.
The interesting part is where the category is moving next. Defence tech companies are increasingly expanding beyond aerial systems into maritime and subsea capabilities. Helsing has already signaled ambitions around autonomous underwater surveillance and AI-enabled naval sensing, while the broader ecosystem is shifting toward autonomous surface vessels, underwater drones, and persistent seabed monitoring.
The logic is straightforward: the same autonomy stack transforming air warfare can be deployed below the surface—where infrastructure is harder to monitor, communication is harder to maintain, and strategic exposure is significantly higher.
This week, we list 5 European Startups Securing Europe's Seabed that should be on your watchlist.
Also in this issue:
Why the World Economic Forum believes AI is becoming operational infrastructure for cybersecurity
And we look back at DTM26, which now lies behind us—but whose momentum is still very much in motion, as founder Martin Schilling writes. From defence and quantum to industrial AI and sovereign infrastructure, one thing became unmistakably clear across every conversation in Berlin: Europe’s deep tech ecosystem is no longer asking whether it can compete globally, but how fast it can scale strategically.
DTM key senior open role
Enjoy the read!
THE LEAP
My 5 Highlights From DTM26 — and One Idea That Could Change the Trajectory of European Deep Tech
Dear all,
DTM26 is over. Two days, Berlin, close to 3,000 people. Preparing this year's edition was intense — we ran a lot of experiments and 3xed last year’s DTM. Here are five DTM26 moments that moved me, and the European Deep Tech and AI ecosystem.
1) The birth of the 1% Pledge
The week before DTM I put the magic-wand question to Frank Appel, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom and RWE, on our prep call: if you could make European corporates take real risk on innovators through large contracts, where would you point the wand? His answer: difficult — too many systemic blockers. My pushback: Frank, this can't be it. The morning of the event he approached me with an idea. Corporates already steer a share of procurement toward ESG goals — so why not frontier tech? On stage and at the CXO Summit it became one line: in Europe, we don't yet buy what we build.
Then, the 1% Pledge competitiveness initiative was born — 100+ European CEOs each committing 1% of procurement to young European deep-tech and AI companies. Against ~€1–1.5 trillion of addressable procurement at large German enterprises alone, that's ~€10–15 billion a year of new, recurring demand for Deep Tech & AI products — more than 10× current German startup VC funding. It was the single most impactful idea to come out of DTM26, and we are already orchestrating it. Want in? Write to me: [email protected]
2) Guardians of European Deep Tech
For the first time we had a deep-tech exhibition, and at its centre: an ocean of tables, founders and corporate innovators knee-to-knee, the room loud with partnerships scoped in 15-minute blocks. You cannot imagine the effort it took to mobilise the 300+ Guardians of European Deep Tech who showed up — senior corporate innovators with real problems and real budgets. For six months, our team (me included) ran a call every single working day to make it happen. The tally: 5000+ 1:1 curated meetings. One line stayed with me: "This should be a 5-day event." — Head of Startups, Turkish Airlines, who had 35+ meetings scheduled.
3) Signals from the Frontline
The moment I will carry longest had nothing to do with the agenda: a conversation with a Ukrainian soldier who had lost a hand. By credible estimates, well over 400,000 people — soldiers on both sides and civilians — have been killed since Russia's invasion in 2022. Around 25 of them died in Ukraine in the two hours it took me to write this blog. Every unit of deterrence Europe builds changes that arithmetic. That is why the room existed.
A week earlier, Russia had placed Ben Wallace, former UK Defence Secretary, on its wanted list. He came anyway. Around him: Gen. Chris Cavoli, former SACEUR; Gen. Chris Badia, former Deputy SACT, NATO; Sir Patrick Sanders, General (ret.), British Army; Lt. Gen. Andreas Marlow and Lt. Gen. Frank Leidenberger, Bundeswehr; Christian Bock, Head of the Bundeswehr Innovation Center; and Rafael Ocejo Arias of McKinsey. Fifty of NATO's most procurement-relevant officers, MoDs, primes and defence tech and dual use innovators — co-hosted with the NATO Innovation Fund, Lakestar and McKinsey. The four tracks: precision strike, drone and aerial defence, space-enabled ISR, and defence tech procurement. A room worth being in.
4) DTM100
The idea: screen the whole European deep-tech and AI ecosystem once a year — 10,000+ companies — invite the best to pitch in front of 30+ funds, and put 100 on the semi-final stage and seven into the final. The epic winners:
Dcubed (DE) — Energy — Shape-memory release mechanisms and origami solar arrays that cut satellite mass, cost and deployment time.
conformally (DE) — Advanced Materials — Ultra-thin, PFAS-free coatings protecting electronics, semiconductors, sensors and medical devices.
Magentic (UK) — Enterprise AI — AI agents running procurement and supply-chain workflows end to end, humans on the key calls.
Bubble Robotics (CH) — Robotics — Resident surface-and-underwater robot fleets with edge AI for unmanned offshore inspection.
Flow Computing (FI) — HPC — A parallel processing unit (PPU) that pairs with any CPU to lift performance up to 100×.
DPhi Space (CH) — Space — Shared "Clustergate" rideshare satellites with onboard compute and AI; plug-and-play orbit access.
INLEAP Photonics (DE) — Defence — Ultra-fast laser beam-steering for higher throughput and precision in advanced laser processing.
The DTM100 in numbers: The DTM100 in numbers: 10,000+ companies screened, 550 DTM Select (list here), final DTM100 chosen together with our investor partners (list here), and 1,100+ meetings facilitated.
And finally — a massive shoutout to Magentic, our DTM100 Finals winner. Well deserved!
5) We 3×ed DTM
From the stage on day one I looked out at three times the faces of last year. Close to 3,000 ticket holders. 3x the Guardians. 3x the innovators. 3x the impact. And the policy side joined, too. From Brussels: EIC president Michiel Scheffer, Commission directors Nathalie Berger and Kilian Gross, with Directors-General Roberto Viola and Kerstin Jorna directly involved in the preparation. From Berlin: Federal Minister for Digital Transformation Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space Dorothee Bär, the German Chancellor's investment envoy Martin Blessing, State Secretary Thomas Jarzombek, and Bundestag members like Jens Spahn and Philipp Rottwilm. From science and space: Helmholtz president Martin Keller and German Space Agency chief Walther Pelzer. The demand stack isn't only private-sector and fully supported by leading policymakers.
With wishes that we start buying more of what we build in Europe — and a lot of excitement to keep scaling DTM with all of you,
Martin
→ Tickets for DTM27 are already available at a special “First Mover” rate. You can get them here.
DEEP TECH OPEN | QUANTUM
Europe’s Top 5 Startups Securing Europe’s Seabed | Early Stage (€1.75m-6.4m)
Forssea Robotics | Sète, France
Technology: Resident autonomous subsea robots operating from permanent docking stations installed directly on the seabed.
Customers: Offshore energy operators, subsea infrastructure owners, emerging defense stakeholders.
Use cases: Cable monitoring, pipeline inspection, autonomous underwater intervention, persistent seabed operations.
Funding: Raised €3.8 million from Sofilaro (Crédit Agricole), Qair Innovation and a France 2030 grant to finance the commercial deployment of its ARGOS remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
Why it matters: Forssea is building toward a critical capability shift: underwater systems that stay deployed for months instead of returning to ships after every mission.
→ Forssea’s long-term vision is not just underwater drones but autonomous robots permanently living on the seabed, reconnecting to docking stations without human intervention.
Eelume | Trondheim, Norway
Technology: Snake-like autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) built for long-duration subsea inspection and intervention.
Customers: Offshore infrastructure operators, energy companies, maritime industrial partners.
Use cases: Subsea infrastructure monitoring, maintenance, inspection, underwater intervention.
Funding: Raised €3–3.5M (NOK 36M) in strategic funding led by Kongsberg Maritime and Equinor, followed by operational deployments with Equinor.
Why it matters: Eelume’s robots are designed to live underwater permanently—an approach increasingly relevant for seabed surveillance and infrastructure protection.
→ Elume’s snake-like robot design was directly inspired by biological eel movement—allowing it to navigate complex underwater infrastructure far more flexibly than traditional torpedo-shaped AUVs.
Blueye Robotics | Trondheim, Norway
Technology: Portable underwater drones with AI-assisted navigation and real-time video capabilities.
Customers: Maritime operators, inspection teams, public safety and security organizations.
Use cases: Underwater reconnaissance, port security, infrastructure inspection, rapid-response subsea operations.
Funding: Secured NOK 50M ($6.4M) in 2019 from a range of Norwegian investors including Grieg, Erik Haugane, Leif-Arne Langøy and Sindre Finnes.
Why it matters: Blueye is making underwater robotics cheaper, faster, and operationally accessible—expanding subsea capability beyond large naval contractors.
→ Since 2023, Blueye Robotics is equipping the entire Norwegian Coast Guard Fleet with Underwater ROVs
SEAir | Lorient, France
Technology: Hydrofoil-enabled autonomous surface vessels (USVs) designed for high-speed, long-range, and low-signature maritime operations.
Customers: European defense programs, maritime security operators, offshore monitoring stakeholders.
Use cases: Maritime ISR, autonomous patrol missions, special operations support, offshore infrastructure monitoring.
Funding: Supported through EU-funded defense programs including EDIDP and the European Defence Fund (EDF); currently raising its first larger private funding round.
Why it matters: SEAir is part of a new generation of European defense startups replacing heavy naval platforms with autonomous, lower-signature systems optimized for endurance, distributed operations, and maritime sovereignty.
Notilo Plus | Marseille, France
Technology: AI-powered underwater drones combining autonomous navigation, computer vision, and real-time underwater data capture.
Customers: Maritime inspection teams, research institutions, public safety and emerging security operators.
Use cases: Underwater reconnaissance, infrastructure inspection, search operations, subsea mapping.
Funding: Secured €1.75M in 2019 in a financing round led by CMA CGM Ventures and including Bpifrance Investissement Régions to advance industrialization and drone technology.
Why it matters: Notilo Plus is part of a new wave of lightweight underwater robotics making subsea intelligence cheaper, faster, and operationally scalable beyond traditional naval systems.
DTM JOBS
We Are Hiring: Director of Programming & Strategy
Deep Tech Momentum is hiring for one of its most pivotal roles: a Director of Programming & Strategy to own the platform's intellectual identity — the ideas it champions, the voices it amplifies, and the conversations it starts. The Director will co-define DTM's content and investment thesis across its core pillars (Defence, Space, Energy, Advanced Materials, Manufacturing & Robotics, HPC), curate the flagship programme as DTM scales toward 3x by 2027, assemble the world's leading deep tech speaker lineup, and scale DTM's thought leadership across three newsletters reaching 250,000+ weekly readers.
It is not a pure strategy role. DTM wants a world-class content mind who is also execution-oriented — a strong writer and editor, in Founder Mode, ideally with 4–6 years in media, content strategy, conference programming or journalism. On offer: the chance to shape Europe's deep tech narrative, unparalleled access to its tier-1 ecosystem, and a competitive salary and equity package. Berlin-based.
→ Apply by direct email to [email protected] with your CV and LinkedIn.
THE PULSE
AI Is Becoming Core Cybersecurity Infrastructure
From helper to independent action: Four levels of AI autonomy in cybersecurity.
Source: World Economic Forum “Empowering Defenders: AI for Cybersecurity”
The World Economic Forum’s new report “Empowering Defenders: AI for Cybersecurity” makes one thing clear: AI is rapidly becoming operational infrastructure in cyber defence.
Here’s what that means and 5 key take-aways of the report:
1. AI adoption in cybersecurity has crossed the mainstream threshold
According to the report, 77% of organizations already use AI in cybersecurity, while 94% of cybersecurity leaders identify AI as the single biggest driver of change in the sector.
The strongest adoption is currently concentrated in:
phishing detection,
intrusion and anomaly detection,
threat intelligence,
automated SOC operations.
2. AI is delivering measurable operational and financial impact
The report provides unusually concrete efficiency metrics:
Organizations using AI extensively in security reduced breach lifecycles by ~80 days.
Average breach costs dropped by $1.9 million.
88% of security teams reported significant time savings and improved proactive defence capabilities.
Several case studies reinforce the trend:
Accenture reduced website security review time by 93% across 100,000+ sites.
Dream Group cut malware remediation guidance time by up to 95%.
IBM automated 95% of daily investigations inside its managed security services.
This is no longer “AI productivity hype.” The tooling is materially changing cyber operations.
3. Cybersecurity is moving toward autonomous AI agents
One of the report’s strongest signals is the emergence of agentic AI — autonomous systems capable of detecting, analysing and responding to threats with minimal human intervention.
Key numbers:
88% of enterprises are already investing in AI agents.
Gartner predicts that by 2028, 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously by AI systems.
The report outlines a shift from: AI assistants → AI recommendation systems → AI systems executing reversible actions → fully autonomous defensive systems with supervisory AI oversight.
For SOCs, this means machine-speed detection and response is becoming a competitive requirement.
4. The cybersecurity talent shortage is now an AI problem
AI is not replacing cybersecurity teams, but changing the profile of the workforce.
The report states that 54% of organizations see lack of skilled talent as the primary barrier to AI adoption in cybersecurity.
The implication is structural:
routine operational tasks are increasingly automated,
demand shifts toward hybrid profiles,
critical thinking, systems understanding and AI governance become core security skills.
The “single-tool expert” model is fading. Organizations now need operators who can supervise, validate and collaborate with AI systems.
5. Human oversight remains the strategic bottleneck
Despite the acceleration toward autonomous security systems, the report repeatedly warns against over-reliance on AI.
The core risk:
hallucinations,
unintended autonomous behaviour,
AI-generated attack surfaces,
governance gaps,
erosion of human expertise over time.
The report’s central conclusion is pragmatic: AI can massively improve cyber resilience — but only if organizations maintain clear governance, measurable validation frameworks and human accountability in the loop.
DTM OPPORTUNITIES
Plug Into Berlin’s Highest-Signal Network
Deep tech doesn’t scale in isolation. It scales through proximity.
Proximity to capital, to talent, to insight, and to the kind of conversations that don’t happen twice.
That’s exactly where FOMO comes in: Built at the intersection of media, community, and curated access, FOMO Berlin has become one of the most effective connectors inside Germany’s AI and deep tech ecosystem. It’s a newsletter with more than 18,000 weekly readers across Berlin and Munich. But it operates less like a newsletter and more like a distribution layer for high-quality people and ideas.
FOMO’s mission is simple: connect great people and create unforgettable moments.
The value is structural:
Signal over noise → curated insights, not content overload
Access over abstraction → real rooms, real people, real outcomes
Community over audience → founders, operators, investors, researchers in one loop
For deep tech builders, this translates directly into leverage:
Meeting your next investor before the round even exists
Finding technical co-founders in-context, not on platforms
Accessing talent already embedded in frontier domains
Staying culturally and strategically in sync with the ecosystem
And importantly: FOMO is not only for insiders. Even beyond core tech circles, the weekend layer alone has become a cultural signal for where Berlin’s most relevant conversations happen.
→ Subscribe now and step into the rooms before they’re visible.
Subscribe to FOMO, or also follow along on Instagram and LinkedIn.
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— Isabelle and Martin
Co-Founders, DTM
