Stark, a defense startup that has a deal to supply "kamikaze" drones to the German military, has raised €500 million in a new funding round, according to the Financial Times.
The round drew backing from prominent venture capital firms including Founders Fund and Sequoia, the FT reports, alongside other unnamed investors.
One notable detail: Founders Fund, the fund associated with US billionaire Peter Thiel, took part in the €500 million round despite having previously been the subject of criticism over the company's links to the financier, according to the Financial Times. Stark itself faced criticism over those Thiel ties.
The term "kamikaze" drones refers to loitering munitions — uncrewed aircraft designed to crash into and destroy a target rather than return home. Such weapons have become central to modern warfare, and European governments have moved to expand their own drone supply chains rather than rely on outside producers.
The Financial Times frames the raise as significant both for its size and for the investor lineup, which blends marquee Silicon Valley names with a European defense customer.
Why it matters: A half-billion-euro round for a company arming a NATO member signals how fast private capital — including high-profile US tech investors — is pouring into European defense technology, even as questions linger about who is funding the weapons makers and why.