Inleap Photonics Secures 20 Million Euros for Laser-Based Drone Defense
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German deep tech company Inleap Photonics has closed a seed round led by UVC Partners. With it, the Hanover-based startup says it has now raised a total of around 20 million euros for its laser-based drone defense technology. Other investors in the round include High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) of Germany, Balnord of Poland, Sentris of Estonia and Scale Capital of Denmark. The company had previously closed a pre-seed round led by HTGF and came out of stealth mode earlier this year.
Inleap Photonics is a spin-off of Laser Zentrum Hannover and develops high-precision laser beam steering systems. Its core product, Fastlight Shield, is designed to neutralize drones within fractions of a second by targeting identified weak points. According to the company, the system is eye-safe, which would allow it to be used in urban and security-sensitive environments as well. A second system called Fastlight HELD (High Energy Laser Drone) combines the laser effector with an all-terrain unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and a C-UAS software platform.
Where the Money Goes
The new capital will flow into four areas, the company says: building and standardizing manufacturing and testing processes for both product lines, further development of the core technology, expanding sales and service across Germany and Europe, and quality assurance and certification. Additional sites in Germany and elsewhere in Europe are planned.
“Our technology has arrived in the market and we are seeing strong order intake. We are now investing in manufacturing, quality assurance, sales and service so that we can meet demand and deliver our systems in larger volumes,” says founder and CEO Marius Lammers. CTO and co-founder Felix Wellmann points to the demands of series production: every unit has to be manufactured, tested and approved under identical conditions.
Lead investor Amanda Birkenholz of UVC Partners frames the investment around the technology’s dual-use potential: “Airports, energy facilities and data centers need the same protection as defense installations.” UVC Partners manages around 800 million euros and has backed companies including Isar Aerospace, Proxima Fusion, Q.ANT and Aleph Alpha.
Working With the Bundeswehr
Inleap Photonics names Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) and the Bundeswehr’s Cyber Innovation Hub as customers. In the spring, the company presented its UGV system publicly for the first time at the Bundeswehr Innovation Center’s technology show at Erding Air Base. The occasion was a product review for C-UAS systems in NATO UAS classes I and II. Among those present were Lieutenant General Christian Freuding, Chief of the Army, and Rear Admiral Christian Bock, head of the Bundeswehr’s drone innovation center.
Through that review, the Bundeswehr is looking for highly mobile, deployment-ready systems that can be tested in a national and collective defense scenario in the third quarter of this year and delivered from 2027 onward. Whether Inleap Photonics will win a contract remains open.
For the ground platform, the startup works with Hentschel System; the C-UAS software comes from Munich-based defense startup Stark, with which Inleap has also entered a strategic partnership. Stark itself has become one of the larger suppliers to the Bundeswehr.
A Growing Market for Counter-Drone Technology
The funding lands at a moment of heightened attention for the field. Several drones were discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August, one of them near a Ukrainian cargo aircraft and fitted with explosives and a detonator. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General took over the investigation, and German authorities suspect Russia is behind the incidents.
Investor interest in counter-drone technology has risen accordingly. Fellow German startup Tytan Technologies raised 30 million euros only recently. Inleap Photonics positions itself in this field through its laser approach, which requires no ammunition and, according to the company, avoids collateral damage.
