The NATO Innovation Fund, the $1 billion+ investment vehicle for NATO to back innovative startups in defence and resilience tech, invests 20% of its budget into other VCs alongside 80% directly into startups themselves. So alongside stakes in companies like ARX Robotics, Kraken, Stark and Space Forge, NIF also backs Expeditions, OTB, Twin Track and others. Today it announced Nur Özdemir as a new partner to oversee its “fund of funds” indirect activity.
She has previously held investment roles at the European Investment Fund (EIF) and European Investment Bank (EIB).
NIF possesses one of the biggest resilience tech funds in Europe, and its published portfolio doesn’t reveal all of its investments. (Kellu, for example, which it backed earlier this year, is not listed.) And some critics believe it could and should have a faster investment pace.
After a difficult year that saw the departures of a number of its original partners, NIF has been building back with a number of new appointments, appointing partners to focus on industrial and climate tech, deep tech, as well as a new president to build more bridges in with industry.
Özdemir is being brought into the mix at a time when it’s being reported that Canada — one of the original NIF funding holdouts alongside the US and France — might finally get involved.
