Ground A secures €9.1 million and prepares its laser-based counter-drone system for series production.

Just a few months after its founding, Ground A has moved the GA 1000 out of the prototype phase and into testing and validation. The substantial pre-seed round lays the foundation for industrialisation and for building a broad product platform for counter-drone and air defence.

Berlin/Düsseldorf, August 2026 – German defence tech company Ground A, which has developed a new generation of software- and laser-based counter-drone systems, closed a pre-seed financing round of €9.1 million in June. Founded only in January 2026, Ground A completed the prototype phase of the GA 1000 within just a few months of its inception. The system is now approaching market launch. During its first months, Ground A deliberately focused its efforts on product and technology. With the GA 1000 now entering the testing and validation phase, the company is stepping into the public spotlight for the first time.

A broad investor consortium from defence, technology and industry

The financing round was led by Vsquared Ventures. It also saw participation from companies such as Quantum Systems, as well as venture capital investors including GRIF, Robin Capital, ABACON, Leblon Capital and OVNI Capital. Also on board at Ground A are experienced entrepreneurs and investors from the European defence and software industries, among them Florian Seibel, Sven Kruck, J14 Capital, Andreas Nauerz, Marlon Braumann and Arx Robotics Managing Director Stefan Roebel.

“We founded Ground A in January and already have our first system in testing and validation, approaching market launch. This kind of speed is exactly what Germany, Europe and allied nations need right now. We deliberately concentrated on advancing the product first and delivering results before talking more broadly about Ground A. Europe needs effective counter-drone solutions that not only work technologically but can also be industrialised quickly and made available in large numbers. That is exactly what we are building Ground A for. The GA 1000 is just the beginning of a much larger product platform. With our investors, we have partners on board who support us financially, strategically and operationally in scaling this platform very quickly.”‍

Dr.-Ing. Tobias Brune, CEO and Co-Founder of Ground A

“The ability to counter drones effectively and cost-efficiently is becoming a key technology for Europe's security. What matters is that systems are not only high-performing, but also mobile and rapidly deployable. They must protect critical civilian infrastructure permanently, while remaining available at short notice wherever military threats emerge. Ground A combines precisely this operational flexibility with technological excellence, high execution speed and the ambition to scale industrially from day one. We are convinced that Ground A can make an essential contribution to Europe's defence capability.”

Benedikt von Schoeler, General Partner of Vsquared

Series production in 2027

The GA 1000 combines radar and a range of sensors with computer vision, proprietary AI and precise laser effects. It is being developed by an international team of leading experts in their respective disciplines, enabling Ground A to consistently develop hardware and software as a single integrated system.

The system detects, classifies and tracks small, agile drones automatically. The decision to deploy the effector remains with the human operator. With a Euro-pallet footprint, the GA 1000 is compact, mobile and designed for a variety of operational scenarios.

A decisive factor is its open, vendor- and system-agnostic architecture. The GA 1000 was not developed as an isolated stand-alone system, but can be integrated into existing air defence, command and control systems as well as into land-, sea- and air-based platforms.

With the GA 1000, Ground A is focusing on industrialisation and scaling in parallel. To this end, the company is setting up modular series production in Germany. Together with the next financing round planned for 2027, production capacity is to be expanded significantly. The goal: to make modern, cost-efficient and industrially scalable defence systems available in Europe, and thereby make a substantial contribution to the defence capability of Germany, NATO and allied nations.

About Ground A

Ground A is a German defence tech company founded in January 2026, with locations in Berlin and Düsseldorf. The company develops a new generation of software-defined and laser-based systems for counter-drone and air defence.

The GA 1000 is the first product of the Ground A platform and combines radar, a range of sensors, proprietary AI, computer vision and laser technology in a compact and mobile system. Its open, vendor- and system-agnostic architecture allows integration into existing platforms as well as command and control, sensor and air defence systems.

Media contact Ground A

Bettina von Sigriz
Director Marketing & HR
bettina.sigriz@grounda.de

Media contact Rud Pedersen

Lukas Kuite
Media contact for Ground A
lukas.kuite@rudpedersen.com
+49 151 2620 1589