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As our Partners roamed the city, engaging with top-level government officials who’d flown in for the #MSC, Flavia was on the TUM campus meeting with Benjamin Wolba and Jonatan H. Luther-Bergquist - the masterminds behind the monumental European Defense Tech Hackathon, and learnt more about the challenges set by Quantum Systems, Helsing and Arx for the large cohort of hackers. A few takeaways: 1/ Helsing’s success stems, among others things, from its AI platform-based approach. The company’s AI toolkit enables them to selectively apply internally developed solutions to a broad spectrum of MoD-defined challenges. The tagline “AI for defence” is finally demystified. 2/ Hackers traveled from across Europe to connect with like-minded individuals and explore how their expertise could be applied in this space. AI academics were the broadest contingent represented. 3/ Ben thrives as much as an entrepreneur and as a VC - TOOT TOOT! Keep it up! Sign up for the next hackathon in Amsterdam - https://lnkd.in/dc5w6y4h 4/ (from other MSC side-events): We are already witnessing acts of hybrid warfare - e.g., car ramming attack in Munich, sabotage of undersea cables, cyberattacks on gov’t websites. While “hybrid attacks” are included in NATO’s article 5, that states that an attack on one is an attack on all - invoking article 5 will be a highly political decision. For more stories about acts of hybrid warfare, Dr. Arndt Freytag’s, former ambassador for Germany and NATO Assistant Secretary General’s research here https://lnkd.in/dti__zEF 5/ The term “Defence” is being used broadly and means different things to different people. Defence investment does not equate to investing in “bombs and bullets”—it’s about backing critical technologies that will allow Europe to, quoting from Lars Frølund, "compete to win."

🚀 Exciting News! 🚀 We’re thrilled to have Giorgio Valente, Lead e-Machine and Drive Engineer, and Thomas Kächele, Senior Technical Consultant - Cradle CFD, from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence speaking at our upcoming event! They’ll be sharing insights on electrification, e-machines, and CFD simulations—a session you won’t want to miss. 👉 Save your spot: https://lnkd.in/dDw_7abT #Hexagon #Innovation #Engineering #CFD #EMachines #Electrification

On February 19-20 in Brussels, our Simone Lavizzari is joining TechTourPhotonics to connect with visionary founders, forward-thinking investors, and industry leaders shaping the future of photonics and deep tech: at JOIN CAPITAL, we believe photonics it’s a key enabler for AI, connectivity, and industrial innovation. Look for Simone at the event, let's talk!

Huge congrats to Aron Kirschen, Kai-Uwe Demasius and the team at SEMRON for receiving the EIC funding. With an addition al 2.5M financing the Future of Edge AI Hardware, we are bullish on the future of LLMs running locally on any device.

AI agents will remain a hot topic for 2025, and our very own Julia Flaig was featured in Sifted’s latest analysis on the top #AI agent startups to watch! At JOIN CAPITAL, we’ve been closely tracking the rise of AI-powered automation, and Julia highlighted three standout startups leading the way: 🔹 Maki People (France): AI-driven #hiring platform optimizing talent acquisition for global enterprises. 🔹 Spleenlab (Germany): Cutting-edge AI perception software enabling autonomous #mobility across drones, cars, and aircraft. 🔹 Cognigy (Germany): A no-code platform helping enterprises deploy AI agents for #customerservice at scale. 🔗 Read the full article on Sifted, Link in the comments

The Evolution of Defense Technology In just a few hours our partner Sebastian von Ribbentrop will have his panel at GoWest - Nordic Venture Capital Forum. Moderated by Mimi Billing from Sifted and together with Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, Partner at NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) and David DANA🎗️, Head of Deep Tech Investments at the European Investment Fund (EIF), it's poised to be an exciting one! Here some of the topics that will be discussed: 🇪🇺 Europe vs. 🇺🇸 US Markets: While the US offers a massive market and DARPA’s structured funding programs, ITAR regulations can be restrictive. On the other hand, Europe is seeing an unprecedented focus on defense, with rising budgets and a need for self-reliance. 🤖 Unique Opportunities in Europe: With NATO members like Poland leading in GDP defense spending, and Ukraine serving as an unconventional testing ground for low TRLs, Europe is shaping up as a fertile ground for innovation. 💰 or 📁, What Startups Need: Beyond funding, Europe needs to address procurement processes, moving from reliance on grants to sustainable revenues through purchase orders. Sebastian will share his insights on these themes, including lessons learned from his portfolio companies, the pitfalls of expanding into the US prematurely, and why European defense primes are becoming a more appealing exit market. If you're attending, let’s connect! If not, stay tuned for key takeaways. Let’s discuss how Europe can strengthen its defense ecosystem and support startups at every stage of their journey.

🚀 New Year, New WikiVC Defence Event 🚀 If last time David and I talked about “Investing in Defence Tech”, this time our focus is “Building in Defence Tech” focusing on founders and innovators. At the session we’ll talk about: •Begin building a startup in the space •Assemble prototypes •Test in the field •Deploy in active environments In pure WikiVC style, we'll keep part of the session open for questions from the audience, so come prepared or write them to us and we'll make sure to ask. Our speakers: 🇩🇪 Benjamin Wolba - European Defense Tech Hub 🇺🇦 Artem Moroz - BRAVE1 (Ukrainian Defence Innovations) 🗓️ Save the Date: 3rd February- 6pm EEST (5pm CET) 📍 Where: Online 🔗 Registration link https://lu.ma/cz4mzbih 🦄 Let’s talk Defence Tech – see you there! 🍕

The year has just started and we are already on the move Here's where you can find us: DeepTech Investor Summit, Zurich (27-28 January) Simone Lavizzari and Wanjiru C. will be representing Join Capital at the UBS Headquarters GoWest 2025, Gothenburg (28–30 January) Sebastian von Ribbentrop will be challenging the Swedish winter, for the sake of the Nordic ecosystem TechChill, Riga (5–7 February) Federico Fini will be attending this flagship Baltic tech event, look for him in Riga. We’re excited to meet founders and investors shaping the future of technology. Are you attending any of these events? Connect with us

Our partner, Dr. Daniel Carew Carew, has been featured in Global Corporate Venturing, sharing insights on the impact of the Trump administration on corporate venturing. His perspective highlights key trends shaping the future of our industry Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eBeXmVbW

📢 Already 60+ People Have Registered – Will You Join Us? Are you curious about the growing buzz around #DefenceTech investments, especially in the #Baltics? Are you a #founder looking to fundraise? An #investor new to the industry? Then this might be for you Join David and I as we delve deep with our guests, asking all the questions you might have had about the defence industry, and giving the audience the chance to ask some themselves. 👥 Our Speakers: John Richmond, Lockheed Martin Ventures Dr. Daniel Carew, Join Capital J.D. Englehart, In-Q-Tel 💡 Why Attend? * Gain unique insights into Defence Tech trends * Discover strategies from leading investors * Engage in a Q&A with our panel Event Details: 🗓️ Date: 9th December 📍 Location: Online ⏰ Duration: 1 hour With 66 people already registered, spots are filling up fast—but there’s still time to secure yours. Don’t miss the chance to connect with other founders, VCs, and industry leaders in the Defence space Register now: https://lu.ma/keewjcve