Invest-NL has committed to Keen Venture Partners’ European Defence & Security Tech Fund.

Fund II will invest in up to 30 UK-based pre-seed and seed-stage startups, with typical initial cheques of around $2 million.

With a new €25M fund closed, FIRSTPICK is doubling down on early-stage startups. Andra Bagdonaitė told us more about the firm’s plans.

The institutional funding will go towards startups and scaleups operating in defence, cybersecurity, and space technologies.

Vestbee maps new VC funds launched in Q1 2026 — highlighting key trends across deeptech, AI, and Europe’s evolving capital stack.

The fund is backed by the European Investment Fund and European Investment Bank.

It will focus on pre-seed investments in founders from Central and Eastern Europe and their diaspora.

The fund is supported primarily by the European Investment Fund (EIF) through the InvestEU Defence Equity Facility.