Defence Roll-Up Startup Onodrim Raises $300M Funding at $1.3B Valuation to Buy Europe’s ‘Sleeping Giants

Onodrim Industries, the Amsterdam-based defence and industrial scale-up platform founded by former Palantir executives, has raised $300 million in Series A funding at a $1.3 billion valuation, led by Lux Capital, with participation from General Catalyst, Lakestar, Altimeter, Strike Capital, 137 Ventures, 8090, and Expeditions. The round follows a $45 million seed round earlier this year, bringing total funding to approximately $345 million.

The funding comes as Onodrim prepares to acquire controlling stakes in established European aerospace, defence, and industrial manufacturing businesses—companies that already have customers, certifications, and revenue, but lack the capital and technology to scale. Onodrim expects to announce its first acquisitions in the coming months and is opening new offices in Munich and Turin.

Onodrim Funding Overview By CREDX Media

Startup Name	Onodrim Industries
Founders	Aistis Šimaitis (CEO), Alexander Blessing (CTO), Christian Garrett
Founded	2025
HQ	Amsterdam, Netherlands
Round	Series A Funding
Amount Raised	$300M
Valuation	$1.3B
Category	Defence Tech, Industrial Roll-Up, Private Equity
Lead Investor	Lux Capital
Key Investors	General Catalyst, Lakestar, Altimeter, Strike Capital, 137 Ventures, 8090, Expeditions
Total Funding Raised	~$345M
Offices	Amsterdam, London, Vilnius, Munich, Turin
Focus Areas	Propulsion, sensing/radar, energetics, aero-structures

💡 Use of Funds

• Acquisitions: Taking controlling stakes in dual-use businesses critical to European defence supply chains.
• Operational Scaling: Applying technology, capital, and business development expertise to help acquired companies grow.
• Geographic Expansion: Opening offices in Munich and Turin, joining existing locations in Amsterdam, London, and Vilnius.

Startup Overview: Onodrim

What Onodrim Is Building in Simple Words

Onodrim is not a startup building a product. It is a holding company designed to buy and scale Europe’s mid-sized defence suppliers. The company takes controlling stakes with permanent capital in established businesses—often family-owned or founder-led—and provides the technology, operations, and business development they need to win larger contracts.

• Permanent Capital: Unlike private equity, Onodrim doesn’t plan to sell in five years. It aims to hold and build for the long term .
• Dual-Use Focus: Targets companies supplying products or services with both civilian and military applications, addressing bottlenecks in European defence supply chains.
• Software & Operators: Brings Palantir-style data integration and engineering talent to traditional manufacturers.
• Target Bottlenecks: Propulsion systems for drones, sensing and radar, energetics for explosives, and aero-structures.

Why Onodrim Matters

• Europe’s defence supply chain is fragmented: Record order backlogs after increased military spending have left primes and suppliers struggling to scale. Onodrim targets the component and service businesses that determine how fast Europe can ramp production.
• The ‘sleeping giants’ thesis: CEO Aistis Šimaitis describes the mission as “waking up the sleeping giants of Europe in manufacturing”—companies with expertise and trust but lacking technology and capital to grow.
• Poland is a key market: Polish entrepreneurs including Bruno Wejchert, Mati Staniszewski, and Michał Brański invested over 100 million PLN, with Onodrim in talks with at least three Polish entities.
• Palantir pedigree: The founding team’s experience at Palantir—building data platforms for governments and defence—is the core pitch to traditional manufacturers.

Founder Background: The Palantir Alumni Building Europe’s Defence Base

Aistis Šimaitis (CEO) was one of Palantir’s first hires in Europe in 2013 and led its Central and Eastern European government business. He also served as Chief Advisor for Analytics and Data Management in the Lithuanian government during the COVID-19 pandemic and holds a DPhil from Oxford.

Alexander Blessing (CTO) was a Forward Deployed Engineer at Palantir, closely involved in developing and deploying its Foundry software platform. He holds degrees from Stanford and Cambridge.

Christian Garrett, Partner at 137 Ventures, is a co-founder with no operational role.

Šimaitis’s framing of the opportunity: “Europe has no shortage of exceptional companies. The challenge has been access to the resources needed to help them grow at the scale and speed the moment demands”.

Founder Intelligence: What Founders Can Learn from Onodrim

• Buy the foundation, don’t build from scratch: Onodrim isn’t trying to create new defence companies. It’s acquiring established businesses with customers and certifications, then adding technology and capital to scale them.
• Permanent capital is a differentiator: Traditional PE buys to sell. Onodrim’s pitch to family-owned businesses is partnership for the long term—the founders stay, the business grows, and the legacy is preserved.
• Target the bottlenecks, not the primes: Onodrim isn’t competing with Thales or Rheinmetall. It’s buying the suppliers those primes depend on—propulsion, radar, energetics—where capacity constraints are most acute.

Investor Intelligence: Why This Round Gets Premium Capital

Lux Capital led the round. Brandon Reeves, Partner, framed the thesis: “Europe needs a stronger industrial foundation to meet the security challenges ahead. We see an enormous opportunity to bring a new model of ownership and investment to the continent’s most important businesses” .

General Catalyst, Lakestar, and Founders Fund backed the seed round. Jeannette zu Fürstenberg of General Catalyst noted: “Europe’s established manufacturers already have the expertise, customers, and trust. What they need is technology that helps them evolve and take on larger programmes”.

The investor composition signals conviction: US and European VCs backing a model that combines private equity discipline with Palantir-style technology deployment, aimed at a market where government spending is rising and supply chain gaps are urgent.

The Road Ahead for Onodrim

Expansion Targets

With $300 million in capital, Onodrim will:

• Announce first acquisitions in the coming months.
• Expand into Poland and Central/Eastern Europe, with talks already underway with at least three Polish entities.
• Open offices in Munich and Turin, adding to Amsterdam, London, and Vilnius.

The Competitive Landscape

Onodrim isn’t alone in consolidating European defence suppliers. Thales agreed to acquire Exail for €3.9 billion in July 2026, and Renk has agreed to acquire David Brown Defence. Onodrim’s differentiation is permanent capital and software, appealing to owners who want to stay involved rather than sell to a strategic buyer .

The key challenge is buying companies at fair prices and growing them fast enough to justify a $1.3 billion valuation before any acquisitions have closed .

Conclusion

Onodrim’s $300 million Series A at a $1.3 billion valuation validates the thesis that Europe’s defence supply chain needs consolidation and scaling, not just new entrants. The company’s Palantir pedigree, permanent capital model, and focus on bottleneck suppliers position it to become a new kind of industrial group—one that buys the foundation and builds on it.

Market tailwinds favor Onodrim: record European defence spending, fragmented supply chains, and government urgency to increase production capacity. Whether the company can execute on its acquisition pipeline and deliver the growth its valuation implies remains to be proven—but the team and the timing give it a credible shot.

For deep analysis of defence tech funding, industrial consolidation, and companies reshaping European security, explore CREDX Media for comprehensive coverage of startup funding trends, valuation intelligence, and founder playbooks.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Onodrim’s total funding and latest round size?
Onodrim has raised approximately $345 million total. Its $300 million Series A was led by Lux Capital in November 2026, following a $45 million seed round earlier in the year .

2. How much did Onodrim raise in its Series A round and who led the investment?
Onodrim raised $300 million led by Lux Capital, with participation from General Catalyst, Lakestar, Altimeter, Strike Capital, 137 Ventures, 8090, and Expeditions .

3. What is the valuation of Onodrim?
Onodrim is valued at $1.3 billion following its Series A.

4. Who are the major investors in Onodrim?
Major investors include Lux Capital (lead), General Catalyst, Lakestar, Altimeter, Strike Capital, 137 Ventures, 8090, Expeditions, and Polish entrepreneurs including Bruno Wejchert and Mati Staniszewski.

5. Who are Onodrim’s founders?
Onodrim was founded in 2025 by Aistis Šimaitis (CEO), Alexander Blessing (CTO), and Christian Garrett. Šimaitis and Blessing are former Palantir executives.

6. What is Onodrim’s business model?
Onodrim is an industrial holding company that acquires controlling stakes in established European aerospace, defence, and industrial businesses. It applies technology, operational expertise, and business development to scale them.

7. How does Onodrim differ from private equity?
Onodrim uses permanent capital and aims to hold and build businesses for the long term, rather than buying and selling for financial gain. It positions itself as an operator, not just an investor.

8. What sectors does Onodrim target?
Onodrim focuses on dual-use businesses in critical supply chain areas, including propulsion systems for drones, sensing and radar, energetics for explosives, and aero-structures.

9. What are Onodrim’s plans for the $300 million Series A capital?
Onodrim will acquire established defence and industrial businesses, scale them with technology and operational expertise, and expand its European presence with new offices in Munich and Turin.

10. Who is the CEO of Onodrim?
Aistis Šimaitis serves as CEO and co-founder. He was one of Palantir’s first hires in Europe, advised the Lithuanian government, and holds a DPhil from Oxford.