Ground A raises €9M+ to bring laser-based counter-drone technology to market

German defencetech company Ground A, which has developed a new generation of software and laser-based counter-drone systems, today stepped out of stealth, announcing a pre-seed financing round of more than €9 million in June, just six months after its founding. 

The GA 1000 combines radar and a range of sensors with computer vision, proprietary AI and precise laser effects. The system automatically detects, classifies, and tracks small, agile drones. The human operator decides whether to deploy the effector. Weighing less than 200 kilograms and with a Euro-pallet footprint, the GA 1000 is compact, mobile and designed for a variety of operational scenarios. 

Crucially, the GA 1000 was not developed as an isolated stand-alone system, but can be integrated into existing air defence, command and control systems, as well as into land-, sea- and air-based platforms. 

Vsquared Ventures led the funding, which included defencetech company Quantum Systems, as well as venture capital investors including GRIF, Robin Capital, ABACON, Leblon  Capital and OVNI Capital. 

Also on board at Ground A are experienced entrepreneurs and investors from the European defence and software industries, including Florian Seibel, Sven Kruck, J14 Capital, Andreas Nauerz, Marlon Braumann and Arx Robotics Managing Director Stefan Roebel. 

According to Dr Tobias Brune, CEO and co-founder of Ground A:

“Today our first system is in the testing and validation phase, on the verge of market launch.   This kind of speed is urgently needed for Germany, Europe and allied nations. We deliberately focused on advancing the product first and delivering results before talking more broadly about Ground A. 

Europe needs effective counter-drone solutions that not only work technologically but can also be industrialised quickly and made available in large numbers. That is exactly what we are building Ground A for. The GA 1000 is just the beginning of a much larger product platform.” 

Benedikt von Schoeler, General Partner of Vsquared, contends that the ability to counter drones effectively and cost-efficiently is becoming a key technology for  Europe's security. 

“What matters is that systems are not only high-performing, but also mobile and rapidly deployable to protect critical civilian infrastructure permanently while also being available at short notice wherever military threats emerge. 

Ground A combines this operational flexibility with technological excellence, a high execution speed and the ambition to  scale industrially from day one. We are convinced that Ground A can make an essential contribution to Europe's defence capability.” 

Ground A is setting up modular series production in Germany. With the next financing round planned for 2027, production capacity will be expanded significantly.