Securing Europe Now: Closing Critical Defence Gaps with Impact and Speed

Berlin | Copenhagen

Our Mission

We build an operator-led venture platform focused on speed — accelerating sovereign defence and dual-use innovation across Europe.

About us

Felsen Ventures is an operator-led European defence and dual-use fund built to back mission-critical early-stage technologies across the Nordic and Eastern European corridor. We combine capital, company-building, and strategic partner access to help founders move faster from breakthrough innovation to deployment-ready capability.

Our focus is on technologies that matter for the future of defence and resilience — from AI, autonomy, cyber, bio, and space to advanced manufacturing and industrial capability.

Through our network of operators, advisor board and venture partners, institutional relationships, and industrial partners, we help companies scale into defence, sovereign, and dual-use markets with real-world relevance and clear pathways to growth.

Felsen is built for speed and scale, with proven partners across finance, engineering, and access to military innovation platforms and relevant operational environments.

Fast-track defence tech to operational readiness

Investment Focus

Mission-Relevant Innovation

We invest in mission-critical defence and dual-use technologies that strengthen European security, industrial resilience, and sovereign capability.

Our focus is on technologies that improve operational readiness, strengthen supply chains, accelerate deployability, and build scalable sovereign capabilities across defence and dual-use markets.

EU Defence Readiness – Priority Capabilities:

    • Cyber & Information Advantage

    • Space, ISR & Defence Infrastructure

    • AI, Autonomy & Robotics

    • Biosecurity & Human Performance

  • Controlled IP, domestic manufacturing, and resilient supply chains that ensure interoperability across mission domains.

  • Strategic and industrial resilience, supply chain and manufacturing resilience, dual-use infrastructure, industrial agility, interoperable logistics, hardened networks, flexible manufacturing, and deployment infrastructure at scale.

  • Felsen applies AI across the investment value chain to improve speed, quality, and efficiency in sourcing, due diligence, portfolio support, and exit preparation.

Contact us

G⁠eographic Focus

Focused on the Nordic–Eastern Defence Innovation Corridor

Our platform is anchored in Berlin and Copenhagen, with strong ecosystem connections across Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Warsaw, the Baltics, Ukraine, and Germany’s leading defence and industrial hubs.

We are building access across this corridor to founders, industrial partners, defence stakeholders, and applied innovation platforms.

Compliance

We deploy 100% regulated EU/EEA/UK/NATO-aligned capital with secure access to conflict-relevant innovation and dual-use frontier technologies.

Our operations are backed by EuVECA manager structures, AIFMD-compliant fund administration, rigorous KYC/AML processes, and controlling with institutional-grade LP reporting.

Founding Team

Operator-led team with a proven track record in building, scaling, and delivering dual-use and tech ventures at speed.

Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen

MANAGING PARTNER

Denmark

Former CEO of Zaptec (Norway) and UK defence-tech firm (battery/e-motor systems).

Key architect of Tesla’s expansion in the Nordics, Japan, and Middle East, reporting to Elon Musk. Angel investor and board member in several Nordic tech startups, with a track record in scaling clean-tech and dual-use ventures internationally.

Joerg Sommer

MANAGING PARTNER

Germany

Former CEO of a commercial electric truck and infrastructure manufacturer (DHL Group subsidiary) and COO of a U.S. truck startup.

President of a U.S. exchange-listed advanced materials company and senior executive at Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Renault-Nissan, including regional board responsibility.

Venture Partner at bmp ventures AG and angel investor, with a track record in scaling mobility, dual-use, and industrial innovation internationally.

Our Advisor Board and Venture Partners

Felsen Ventures is building a high-level venture partner network spanning defence innovation, military leadership, procurement, public policy, and industrial technology.

Our network already includes high-calibre figures from the defence and technology worlds and continues to expand. These advisors strengthen sourcing, diligence, customer access, strategic positioning, and operational scale-up

A Venture Partner Network Built for Defence Execution

  • Sir Michael Fallon

    (UK)

    DEFENCE & SECURITY STRATEGY

    Former UK Secretary of State for Defence and senior advisor on defence, security, and geopolitical strategy.

  • Katya Kuznetsova

    (UK / Ukraine)

    DEFENCE PROCUREMENT & CAPITAL MARKETS

    Senior finance and capital markets executive. Independent Director at the Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

  • General (ret.) Flemming Lentfer

    (Denmark)

    MILITARY LEADERSHIP & DEFENCE OPERATIONS

    Former Chief of Defence of Denmark and former Director of DALO.

  • Mark Gustafson

    (USA)

    DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION

    Former DARPA and U.S. Department of Defense innovation leader with deep experience in next-generation defence technologies and mission-led technology development. Member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.

  • Dr. Jan Becker

    (USA / Germany)

    AI / AUTONOMY / SDX

    CEO and Co-Founder of Apex.AI and one of the leading experts in SDx / autonomous software and mission-critical AI systems.

Our Network Partners

Compliance-Ready. Institutional. Execution-Focused

Felsen Ventures applies institutional-grade fund operations through its partnership with bmp Ventures AG, one of Germany’s leading federal-state fund managers. bmp supports Felsen with AIFMD-compliant fund administration, KYC/AML processes, controlling, and institutional-grade LP reporting.

Spead and Readiness

Felsen Ventures de-risks technical execution and accelerates readiness and scale-up through its strategic partnership with Ricardo. Ricardo is Felsen’s strategic engineering partner for selected opportunities requiring technical due diligence, feasibility assessment, rapid prototyping, and industrialisation support. With expertise across propulsion, electrification, systems integration, and specialised manufacturing, Ricardo helps assess technical risk, prioritise development pathways, and support design-for-manufacture and scale-up. Felsen combines its operator platform with Ricardo’s defence-grade engineering capability to accelerate technical readiness, market entry, and industrial scale-up for selected portfolio companies

Ecosystem Access / NATO & EU Pathways

Connected to Europe’s Emerging Defence-Tech Engine

Felsen Ventures is embedded in Europe’s fast-growing defence and dual-use innovation ecosystem through direct relationships and active engagement with leading platforms and institutions, including DIANA-linked initiatives, Brave1, UnternehmerTUM, Bayern Innovativ, and Fraunhofer-related defence and security networks.

Our portfolio companies gain access to relevant end-users, test environments, research partners, pilot pathways, and procurement-adjacent opportunities that can accelerate validation, adoption, and operational relevance.