Quantum Systems

Overview
Quantum Systems (legally Quantum-Systems GmbH) is a German technology company headquartered in Gilching, near Munich, that designs, develops, and manufactures small uncrewed aerial systems. Founded in 2015, the company began with electric vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing drones for civilian mapping and agriculture before evolving into a dual-use group with a strong defence focus.

Why this entity matters
Quantum Systems is one of Europe's fastest-growing defence-technology companies and, in May 2025, became widely described as Europe's first dual-use technology unicorn. In July 2026 it signed a roughly $1.2 billion Series D financing round at a post-money valuation of approximately $8 billion, among the largest European defence-technology rounds to date, with reported 2025 revenue of around €300 million. It is frequently cited among the challengers positioned to compete with established defence "primes."

Career, company, or institutional background
The company was founded by former Bundeswehr officer and military helicopter pilot Florian Seibel together with fellow researchers from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, including Dr. Michael Kriegel, Tobias Kloss, and Armin Busse. Its early products included the Tron eVTOL and the Trinity mapping platform. After the 2022 escalation of the war in Ukraine, demand shifted sharply toward defence and reconnaissance, and the Vector tactical drone became a flagship product. The portfolio has since expanded to systems such as Reliant and the Sparta mothership concept, combined with MOSAIC, a software platform that links drones, sensors, and third-party systems into a single interoperable ecosystem.

Role in the startup, technology, investment, or innovation ecosystem
Quantum Systems has supplied uncrewed systems to multiple governments, including Ukraine, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, and the United States, and has built manufacturing and assembly capacity across Europe, Ukraine, and the United States. Its trajectory is often used as a reference point for Europe's emerging defence-technology and dual-use investment wave.

Selected relationships and affiliations
Investors and shareholders associated with the company include HV Capital, Balderton Capital, Project A, DTCP, Airbus Ventures, and Thiel Capital, with the 2026 Series D co-led by Blackstone, Noteus Partners, Airbus, and Advent, alongside participation from existing backers such as HV Capital and Balderton. The company has also partnered with the drone-software firm Auterion.

Startuprad.io relevance
Quantum Systems is profiled in Startuprad.io's Unicorn Atlas (Edition 4), which tracks German-speaking-region companies that have reached or are approaching unicorn valuations, situating the company within Startuprad.io's coverage of European defence and deep-technology scale-ups.

Public source context
Publicly available information is drawn from the company's own announcements, its <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum-Systems">Wikipedia entry</a>, and reporting by outlets including the Financial Times and Sifted. Additional detail is available on the company's <a href="https://quantum-systems.com">quantum-systems.com</a> website.