The Delft-based Tective enables automated deployment of drone swarms through the SkyHive. The SkyHive acts as an autonomous airfield where 5 in-house developed drones can take off, land, and swap batteries. The drones, equipped with multiple cameras, quickly and efficiently map areas without the need for a pilot. This makes automatic monitoring of large areas possible: think of border areas or critical infrastructure. But also in the civil sector, such as agriculture, the SkyHive proves its worth by helping to detect weeds and viral diseases cheaply and scalably. SecFund invests together with Tenzing Alpha to facilitate further development and scaling of the company. In collaboration with Defense, the emphasis is placed on production certainty.
Great interest
Innovative companies in the defense sector experience a hurdle more often compared to companies in other sectors when it comes to obtaining financing, according to research by the European Union. Raising venture capital poses a significant challenge. Not only because the capital requirements of these companies are very large, but also because investors are reluctant to invest in companies that also supply defense. The SecFund aims to bridge this gap and contributes to national security, innovation capacity, and economic growth.
The SecFund focuses on dual-use companies. These are companies that develop products or services that can be applied both civilly and in the defense sector. An example is LiFi: a new generation of data transmission, which is faster than WiFi and can transfer more data per second, or think of advanced radio technology.
To provide our people with the best equipment, we need the most innovative people and companies in the Netherlands. The SecFund gives a significant boost to start-ups and scale-ups to rapidly bring their innovations into production and get them to our warfighters. Essential for our security.
Gijs Tuinman
Learn more
Since the announcement last October, over a hundred companies from all over the Netherlands expressed interest in the fund. A number of these companies have been invited in recent months to participate in the testing phase of the process, to create an initial portfolio as a fund. Some of these interested companies have potential, of which Tective is now the first to receive an investment.
Dual-use in defense and civil
The SecFund is a collaboration between the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the regional development agencies (ROMs). The execution of this nationally covering fund is entrusted to the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) in collaboration with the other ROMs. This way, optimal use is made of existing knowledge and experience in investment and venture development.
With the investment in Tective, SecFund has truly started. The great interest in the fund underscores entrepreneurs' need for this new financing instrument for dual use. As regional development agencies, we are ready to accelerate innovation for defense. We wish investment director Ernst Coolen and the national team of SecFund every success.
Brigit van Dijk – Van de Reijt
Fund open for applications
Interested companies can register at www.secfund.nl. Here they will find more information, a quick scan to check if the financing instrument is suitable for their company, and they have the option to submit an application.