Defense Tech Startup Vermeer Secures $10M Series A Funding with U.S. Air Force Techstars Participation

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

The funding 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, a vulnerability commonly exploited in modern conflicts.

Vermeer CEO Brian Streem emphasized the company's unique development environment, stating that building technology in a war zone has forced the team to iterate faster and focus on what actually works in combat. 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 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 GPS signals are compromised, addressing a critical gap in modern military operations where electronic warfare capabilities continue to advance.

Vermeer's growth trajectory has been significant, expanding from 10 to 40 employees within a year while maintaining operations in both New York and Kyiv. The startup credits its early development phase to the U.S. Air Force's Techstars accelerator and significant non-dilutive Small Business Innovation Research funding through the AFWERX program. The current $10 million funding round is intended to further accelerate product innovation and meet increasing global demand from defense and commercial clients.

While Vermeer's funding round is modest compared to other defense tech startups like Auterion and Mach Industries, its focus on navigation resilience addresses a specific and critical capability that complements broader autonomous system developments. 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, with implications for military effectiveness and national security worldwide.