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The alliance unveiled the fund in the summer of 2022, months
after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, promising to invest in
technologies that would enhance its defenses. The fund is backed
by 24 of NATO's 32 member states, including Finland and Sweden,
which joined the alliance earlier this year.
On Tuesday, the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) confirmed it had
directly invested in four European tech companies, which it said
would help address challenges in defense, security, and
resilience.
The body has allocated funding to Fractile, a London-based
computer chipmaker aiming to make large language models (LLMs)
like those that power ChatGPT run faster, as well as Germany's
ARX Robotics, which designs unmanned robots with functions
ranging from heavy-lifting to surveillance.
The other two startups were British manufacturer iCOMAT, which
makes lighter materials for vehicles, and Space Forge, a Welsh
company that harnesses the conditions of space – such as
microgravity and vacuum conditions – to build semiconductors
in-orbit.
“Enabling access to strategic technologies is key to securing a
safe and prosperous future for the alliance's one billion
citizens,” said Andrea Traversone, the fund's managing partner.
The fund has also partnered with venture capital firms Alpine
Space Ventures, OTB Ventures, Join Capital and Vsquared Ventures
to support further investment in deep tech on the continent.
(Reporting by Martin Coulter; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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