Stendr Raises $5.4M Pre-Seed to Build the Next Generation of AI-Native Nordic Defence

Stendr has raised $5.4 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round, one of the largest in Nordic defence technology history. The Oslo-based startup received backing from lead investors Rainfall, ACME, and Skyfall, alongside participation from Sisyphus, Antler, StartupLab, and Off Piste. This capital will fund the development of an AI-native platform for the rapid creation of defence hardware and software.

The company aims to establish itself as a new Nordic defence Prime by building a vertically integrated technology stack. This approach combines hardware and software to protect democratic nations from modern threats, with an initial focus on drone defence. Their multi-sensor technology is designed to embed AI directly into cost-efficient hardware platforms to track autonomous drones.

CEO Aleksander Leonard Larsen, who previously co-founded the $3 billion unicorn Sky Mavis, leads the company. He is joined by CTO Robin Alexander Holm Pedersen, who brings experience from Norges Bank, and Head of Hardware Markus Leonhard Hansen, former co-founder of Gungnir of Norway. Larsen's background in scaling real-time infrastructure under high pressure is a key driver for the firm's technical strategy.

Larsen stated that warfare has changed because drones are now cheap, autonomous, and widely available. He noted that systems built for a previous era cannot keep pace with these threats. Stendr's technology is built to provide defenders with the information to act while remaining fully sovereign to Europe.

The investment round was highly competitive, reflecting significant interest in the modernization of the European defence sector. Strategic support from Andøya Ventures connects the startup to specialized testing grounds near NATO borders. This provides a clear path for validating their systems in real-world environments. As European nations increase their defence spending to 2% of GDP, the market for counter-drone systems is expanding rapidly. Stendr is positioning its Oslo headquarters as a center for innovation to challenge the dominance of traditional, slower-moving defense contractors.