Tective Receives First Investment from SecFund
Drone manufacturer Tective has received the first investment from the SecFund. This fund provides early-stage financing to Dutch startups, scale-ups, and innovative SMEs that address the innovation needs of the Ministry of Defence. SecFund launches with an initial fund size of €25 million, with the goal of growing to €100 million by 2025. The fund invests up to a maximum of €5 million per company.
Delft-based Tective enables the automated deployment of drone swarms through its SkyHive. The SkyHive functions as an autonomous airbase from which five in-house developed drones can take off, land, and swap batteries. The drones, equipped with multiple cameras, can map out areas quickly and efficiently without requiring a human pilot. This makes it possible to automatically monitor large areas — such as border regions or critical infrastructure. SkyHive also proves valuable in the civilian sector, such as agriculture, by helping detect weeds and viral diseases in a cost-effective and scalable way. SecFund is co-investing alongside Tenzing Alpha to support the further development and scaling of the company, with a focus on production reliability in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence.
High Interest
Innovative companies in the defense sector more often face hurdles in securing funding compared to companies in other sectors, according to research by the European Union. Raising venture capital is a major challenge — not only due to the large capital requirements of these companies, but also because investors tend to be cautious about backing firms that supply to defense. SecFund aims to bridge this gap and contributes to national security, innovation capacity, and economic growth.
The SecFund focuses on dual-use companies — businesses that develop products or services with both civilian and military applications. Examples include LiFi, a next-generation data transmission technology that is faster than WiFi and capable of transferring more data per second, or advanced radio technology.
“To provide our people with the best equipment, we need the most innovative minds and companies in the Netherlands. The SecFund gives a significant boost to startups and scale-ups to bring their innovations rapidly into production and into the hands of our warfighters. This is essential for our security.”
– Gijs Tuinman, State Secretary of Defence
Since the fund’s announcement last October, over a hundred companies across the Netherlands have expressed interest. Some of these companies were invited to participate in the testing phase over recent months to help create a starting portfolio for the fund. Among these promising candidates, Tective is now the first to receive an investment.
Dual-Use in Defence and Civil Sectors
SecFund is a collaboration between the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, and the regional development agencies (ROMs). The national execution of the fund is led by the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) in partnership with the other ROMs. This structure ensures optimal use of available knowledge and experience in investment and venture development.
“With the investment in Tective, SecFund is now truly up and running. The strong interest in the fund highlights the need among entrepreneurs for this new financing instrument for dual-use innovation. As regional development agencies, we are ready to accelerate innovation for defence. We wish investment director Ernst Coolen and the national SecFund team all the best.”
– Brigit van Dijk – Van de Reijt, CEO of BOM, on behalf of ROM Netherlands
Fund Now Open for Applications
Interested companies can apply at www.secfund.nl. The website offers more information, a quick scan to assess whether the funding instrument is suitable for their business, and the opportunity to submit an application.