Darkstar invests €600,000 in Ukrainian startup Deftak, which develops innovative drone munitions

The Ukrainian-Estonian startup Deftak has raised €600,000 in investment from Darkstar. It was announced by Darkstar co-founder Ragnar Sass on his LinkedIn page.

Sass calls Deftak a leader in the development of drone munitions. He notes that the startup is pioneering a new category of weaponry: its system can be integrated with any aerial platform, transforming reconnaissance drones into precision strike drones – even in challenging environments where GPS is unavailable. The investor says that Deftak’s technology has already proven effective in combat and can be up to ten times more cost-effective than traditional systems.

“The reality of electronic warfare in Ukraine changes every three months. Deftak exemplifies a team and product capable of delivering a critical edge for Ukraine and NATO,” Sass wrote.

Darkstar is a coalition of more than 30 start-up founders and investors from Estonia, Germany, the UK, France, Finland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Ukraine, focused on strengthening the European defence technology ecosystem. Ragnar Sass and his partners launched the project in 2024.

Deftak is the second Ukrainian defence startup in Darkstar’s portfolio. Last year, the fund invested €600,000 in the startup Farsight Vision.