Key takeaways
- Autonomous unmanned systems software maker Six Robotics has raised €12 million in seed funding
- DTCP Defence committed €10 million from its €500 million fund
- Additional backing from the Danish Export and Investment Fund and Scale Capital
Norwegian defence technology company Six Robotics has raised €12 million in a seed round led by DTCP Defence to scale its software for coordinating autonomous unmanned systems across European and allied defence markets, the company announced in June.
DTCP invested €10 million through its DTCP Defence Fund, with Denmark’s state-owned Export and Investment Fund (EIFO) and Copenhagen-based venture capital firm Scale Capital also participating alongside other private investors.
Founded in 2023 as a spin-out from the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), Six Robotics develops Valkyrie, a software platform that allows unmanned aerial systems from different manufacturers to operate together as coordinated groups while retaining human operator control. The company has developed the technology in collaboration with the Norwegian Armed Forces and FFI, and the Norwegian Army selected Valkyrie for a pilot programme in October 2025. “Software-defined autonomy and swarming at scale are among the most technically challenging areas in modern defence,” said Ole Aguirre, partner at DTCP Defence.
“Collaborative autonomy will define the next decade of defence,” said Six Robotics CEO Christian Fredrik Eggesbø. “Europe cannot afford to depend on others for the software that defines what its forces can do.”
Six Robotics said the funding will support further product development, increased deployment capacity and international commercialisation. The company has grown from five to almost 90 employees and had previously raised only around €1 million in external equity, according to Scale Capital.
The investment was the first made by DTCP Defence, a €500 million fund focused on defence, security and resilience technologies. DTCP said the fund will target areas including AI, autonomous systems, cyber defence, secure communications and critical digital infrastructure. The fund invested in maritime start-up Kraken in July 2026.
The Nordics has made significant headway in the development of defence technology, including through collaborations with Ukraine. On Six Robotics, Scale Capital founding partner, Lars Jensen, said “Norway has emerged as one of the most exciting defence technology and robotics ecosystems in Europe.”
