Autonomous robotics might be the future of combat. And venture capital funds are starting to pile in.

‍What’s happening:‍

• Defense tech startup ARX Robotics has raised €9M in a seed round financing
  
• The round was led by the NATO Innovation Fund
  

The big idea:‍

• ARX Robotics builds fully autonomous mobile robots that are purpose built for combat and military applications
  
• ARX Robotics has developed multiple military focused robotics, including small autonomous tanks and drone surveillance modular carriers
  

Why it matters:‍

• The recent seed round for ARX Robotics represents the largest seed round in European history for a defense tech startup
  

Going deeper:‍

• Defense tech is starting to become one of the most exciting areas of venture capital, with a16z recently backing a startup focused on preventing drone attacks and Sequoia Capital previously backing a startup aiming to expand domestic drone manufacturing in the United States
  

The intrigue:‍

• The NATO Innovation Fund is a standalone venture capital fund focused on deep tech and defense tech and is aiming to deploy €1B into emerging startups

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