The round was led by Air Street Capital, joined by new investors Cherry Ventures, OTB Ventures and Harpoon, alongside existing backers Expansion Ventures, Starburst and Apeiron Ventures. Apeiron has been with Alta Ares at every round since pre-seed in 2025.
Apeiron is proud to have followed on in the heavily oversubscribed €50 million Series A of French startup Alta Ares. The round, led by Air Street Capital, takes the company from pre-seed to a scaling European defense AI platform in little more than a year.
Alta Ares builds advanced artificial intelligence and computer vision for drones — analyzing and processing video in real time, directly on the vehicle, with no reliance on network or cloud connectivity. It is an edge-first approach, and it delivers operational intelligence and situational awareness in precisely the environments where connectivity can never be taken for granted.
The technology is field-proven and NATO-validated. Alta Ares won the NATO Innovation Challenge 2025 for its work on detecting and neutralizing glide bombs, and its systems have been tested and deployed in real conditions across Ukraine, France, Estonia, the Middle East and beyond. That record is what built the conviction behind an oversubscribed round, and a syndicate that now brings together some of Europe’s most respected technology and defense investors.
For us, this is a story about continuity. We backed Alta Ares at pre-seed and we have stood behind the team at every round since, through to this Series A. We invest in founders for the long run — and there are few clearer illustrations of why that matters.
It carries particular meaning that Alta Ares is a French company. The strategic relationship between Greece and France runs deep, and investments like this are how we play our part in bringing the two countries’ defense innovation ecosystems closer together. With Greek investors and Greek talent on the team, Alta Ares is itself a bridge between two of Europe’s most dynamic defense communities.
The announcement has drawn significant attention and endorsement at the highest levels, including from French President Emmanuel Macron and French Minister of Industry Sébastien Martin.
Europe needs defense capabilities that are sovereign, allied, and field-proven. Alta Ares is becoming exactly that answer — and Apeiron is proud to keep building alongside the team.
Congrats, Hadrien, Stan, and the entire Alta Ares team. Onwards. En avant! 🇪🇺 🇫🇷 🇬🇷
