Defense Tech Startup Vermeer Secures $10M Series A Funding for GPS-Independent Navigation Technology

AeroX Ventures has joined a $10 million Series A funding round for Vermeer, an American-Ukrainian startup developing vision navigation and autonomy technologies for defense applications. The investment was led by Draper Associates and included participation from Boscolo Intervest, High Point Ventures, Rockaway Ventures, and the U.S. Air Force Techstars accelerator program.

The capital infusion will support Vermeer's expansion of partnerships with U.S. military forces, NATO allies, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine while scaling its optical navigation technology for both defense and commercial sectors. The company's Visual Positioning System (VPS) technology provides a GPS-independent navigation solution critical for drones and other aerial vehicles operating in contested or GPS-denied environments.

Vermeer's technology addresses a significant vulnerability in modern warfare where GPS signals are frequently jammed or spoofed by adversaries. The VPS system employs multiple electro-optical or infrared cameras to interpret the surrounding environment by comparing live visuals against a database of landmarks and pre-existing maps, enhanced by AI processing via Nvidia chips. This approach allows drones to maintain precise location awareness even when traditional navigation systems fail.

The startup has demonstrated rapid growth, expanding from 10 to 40 employees within a year while maintaining operations in both New York and Kyiv. Vermeer's development has been supported by the U.S. Air Force's Techstars accelerator and significant non-dilutive Small Business Innovation Research funding through the AFWERX program, which have bolstered its research and development efforts.

Vermeer CEO Brian Streem emphasized the unique advantage of developing technology in a conflict zone. Building advanced technology in a war zone is not easy but it's the only way to make it real. Operating alongside our partners on the front lines has forced us to iterate faster, build smarter, and focus on what actually works in combat, Streem said. Our goal isn't just to give drones mass it's to give them precision, intelligence, and purpose.

The company currently serves over 30 customers including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, with active deployment by Ukrainian forces to maintain drone efficacy against adversarial electronic warfare. The funding will accelerate product innovation to meet increasing demand from defense and commercial clients worldwide.

While Vermeer's $10 million raise is modest compared to other defense tech startups like Auterion and Mach Industries, its focus on navigation resilience addresses a specific and critical capability gap. As geopolitical tensions and cyber-electronic warfare intensify, navigation solutions resistant to jamming and spoofing represent a vital niche within the drone and autonomous platform sectors, potentially reshaping how military and commercial entities approach navigation security in contested environments.