Good afternoon from Resilience Media.
Yesterday at Bletchley Park, Anne Keast-Butler, Director General of GCHQ, delivered a warning about the extent of Russian hybrid warfare deployed against the UK. Keast-Butler said the grey war tactics are “relentlessly targeting critical infrastructure, democratic processes, supply chains, and public trust.” As a reader of this newsletter, you’re aware of the threat, but much like the annual speech MI6 boss Blaise Metreweli delivered in December, it is important that GCHQ’s message is being presented to the wider public. Read Ingrid Lunden’s coverage of the speech here.
In the second of a series of articles parsing through the 100 Startups To Watch list, veteran cybersecurity reporter Carly Page makes an intriguing insight:
[most funded startups] are building software and infrastructure for drones, autonomous vehicles, satellite networks, AI systems, battlefield sensors, and machine-to-machine communications.
In doing so, many are effectively creating a new kind of cybersecurity market almost by accident.
Companies that aren’t traditional cybersecurity providers are operating in that space, including Tekever, Alpine Eagle, Origin Robotics, and more. Read an excerpt of her piece in our Trends section below.
We’re sourcing our next big list!
- We’re looking for the investors shaping the future of defence tech; compiling a go-to resource for founders and builders looking to connect with the people actively backing innovation in defence and resilience.
- Similar to our 100 Startups To Watch in 2026 feature, this project will spotlight the funds, accelerators, and individuals investing in the next generation of defence, national security, and resilience companies. If you’d like to be considered – or nominate someone – complete this form.
Speaking of funding, we covered the NIF and IQT led RevEng.ai $15M Series A. Read more in our Deals section below where we examine the round and what it signals.
Elsewhere on Resilience Media:
- New cameras from Odd Systems are making drones faster, smarter, and more accurate [VIDEO]
- Germany chooses EU analytics company over US-based Palantir
- Quaze deal gives Red Cat wireless power for drones and robots
- Ukraine unveils first domestically developed guided aerial bomb
- Britain turns on Borealis orbital defence network amid growing space threats
I’ll be back in your inboxes next week. Thanks for reading.
-Leslie Hitchcock, co-founder and Publisher, Resilience Media
DEALS 💰
RevEng.AI lands $15M to defend against the unintended risks of AI
- A London startup called RevEng.AI has developed a platform for defence and critical infrastructure operators to run and verify AI-generated software ahead of it being deployed in live, sensitive systems.
- The startup announced on Wednesday that it has raised $15 million in funding to expand its business.
- The Series A round, has a number of notable, strategic backers. The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) is leading the funding, with In-Q-Tel (the strategic investment arm with links to the CIA and other US government entities), IQ Capital, Sands Capital, and Episode One also participating.
The fact that NIF and In-Q-Tel are in this round speaks to two points.
- The first is the scrutiny that governments are putting on prevalence of using AI-written code generated on third-party commercial platforms and the vulnerabilities that code can create.
- The second is a measure of the traction that RevEng.AI has had in tackling that so far.
TRENDS 📊
The defence tech boom is creating a cybersecurity industry for machines
The defence tech boom is quietly spawning an entirely new category of cybersecurity startup, one less concerned with phishing emails and compromised laptops and far more interested in what happens when autonomous machines start talking to each other at scale.
Buried inside Resilience Media’s recent ‘100 Startups to Watch 2026’ list is a pattern that looks increasingly difficult to ignore.
A huge chunk of the companies attracting money across Europe and the US are not building traditional enterprise security products – they’re building software and infrastructure for drones, autonomous vehicles, satellite networks, AI systems, battlefield sensors, and machine-to-machine communications.
In doing so, many are effectively creating a new kind of cybersecurity market almost by accident.
For a long time, the security industry largely revolved around protecting employees and corporate infrastructure. The attack surface was people clicking things they should not click, laptops connecting from coffee shops, and servers waiting to be patched. Even cloud security largely followed the same logic: protect the workforce, secure access, monitor behaviour, repeat.
But that model breaks down pretty quickly once the “users” are autonomous drones sharing data across jammed and contested networks.
EVENTS 🎟️
Our Strategic Partner, European Defense Tech Hub is awash with hackathons this year. Will we see you there?
EDTH Eurosatory Paris
Paris, France | June 12–14, 2026
Held alongside Eurosatory, one of the world’s leading defence and security exhibitions, EDTH Eurosatory Paris brings together founders, engineers, operators, and investors for a flagship hackathon focused on the future of defence technology. Participants will collaborate on next-generation solutions across autonomy, AI, resilience, and battlefield innovation.
EDTH Poland
Warsaw, Poland | June 19–21, 2026 EDTH Poland convenes builders, researchers, and defence innovators in Warsaw for a weekend dedicated to rapid experimentation and practical problem-solving. The event strengthens regional collaboration while showcasing Poland’s growing role in Europe’s defence tech ecosystem.
EDTH Munich
Munich, Germany | June 26–28, 2026 Hosted in one of Europe’s leading deep-tech and industrial hubs, EDTH Munich brings together engineers, founders, and operators to develop cutting-edge defence and resilience technologies. The event celebrates the growing momentum of Europe’s defence innovation community through hands-on collaboration and rapid prototyping.
EDTH London
London, UK | June 26–28, 2026 EDTH London gathers the UK’s leading builders, technologists, and defence innovators for a collaborative weekend focused on solving real-world security challenges. The hackathon connects talent across startups, academia, and industry to accelerate the development of next-generation defence capabilities.
