Lockheed Martin targets UK with major new startup fund

Lockheed Martin will establish a new London office in an expansion to its VC arm that will see it deploy at least $100m (£74.4m) across British and European startups.

Lockheed Martin Ventures serves as the aerospace giant’s early-stage investment fund.

The European expansion is backed by a massive capital injection in April, which saw the corporate venture fund’s overall capacity more than double from $400m to $1bn (£744m).

The strategic move aims to identify earlier-stage dual-use innovations and defence technologies directly within allied European markets.

Lockheed Martin Ventures plans to target emerging technologies that can integrate into existing allied defence programs, bolster supply chain resilience, and strengthen the transatlantic defence industrial base.

“We are reaching even deeper into the investing ecosystem, meeting our potential partners where they are,” said Chris Moran, vice president and general manager, Lockheed Martin Ventures.

“Our presence will help us seize opportunities for investing earlier in the startup lifecycle, ensure technical interoperability with existing platforms, and better support our allied customers.”

The announcement comes amid a notable rise in venture capital interest in defence, space, and dual-use hardware across the UK and Europe as governments prioritise sovereign technology capabilities.

“We expect our investment strategy to evolve as technologies emerge and the startup environment matures in markets where we do business around the world,” added Dan Tenney, senior vice president of global business development and strategy.