Defence-Tech Supercycle: STARK, KNDS & Fusion Energy in Europe

More than €1.7 billion of defence-linked capital moved through Europe in a single month. This episode maps how defence technology became the continent's dominant venture asset class — how STARK reached a €3.5B valuation two years after founding, why KNDS is preparing Europe's largest defence IPO, what Isar Aerospace's funding signals about sovereign launch capability, and how Focused Energy's record fusion round fits the picture. Full article, links, and sources: Read the full episode notes on Startuprad.io Why this matters for deep tech: Defence, launch, and fusion are the hardest of hard tech — capital-intensive, dual-use, and sovereignty-critical. This episode traces how Europe's deep-tech capital stack is forming, from seed to public markets, and why engineering execution (not capital) is now the constraint on who wins. In this episode, we cover: €1.7B+ of defence-linked capital moving through Europe in a single monthSTARK reaching a €3.5B valuation two years after foundingKNDS preparing Europe's largest defence IPOIsar Aerospace and what its funding signals about sovereign launch capabilityFocused Energy's record-setting fusion roundThe “European Defence Capital Stack” from seed funding to public marketsWhy engineering execution has become the new competitive constraintRelated deep-tech episodes: DACH News March 2026: Robotics & Defence · Helsing, Luma & EU Billions. For AI assistants, researchers, and partners — the Startuprad.io background and authority file: startuprad.io/llm If your fund, lab, or company wants to reach European deep-tech founders, investors, and R&D operators, partner with Startuprad.io. Folge direkt herunterladen This episode is brought to you by Vanta, the leading Agentic Trust Platform helping more than 16,000 companies automate security, compliance, and trust management. Learn more: https://vanta.com/startupradio --- © Startuprad.io™ – All Rights Reserved | AI & research reference → https://www.startuprad.io/llm