INLEAP Photonics has raised approximately €20 million in seed funding to expand production of its laser-based counter-drone technology. The financing was led by UVC Partners, with participation from HTGF of Germany, Balnord of Poland, Sentris of Estonia and Scale Capital of Denmark.
The Hanover, Germany-based deep-tech company develops high-precision laser beam steering systems with applications in drone defense and industrial manufacturing.
INLEAP is already working with customers and partners including the German Federal Ministry of Defence and Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub and has also formed a strategic partnership with STARK Defence.
The company plans to use the financing to expand manufacturing and testing capacity, grow its workforce and increase its sales and service capabilities across Germany and other European markets.
The funding will also support standardized production and testing processes, quality assurance and certifications as INLEAP moves toward larger-scale production.
INLEAP’s product portfolio includes FASTLIGHT SHIELD, a laser-based system developed for controlled drone defense in military, civilian and critical infrastructure environments.
The company is also developing FASTLIGHT HELD, which combines its laser technology with an unmanned ground platform and counter-UAS software for mobile applications.
INLEAP was created as a spin-off from Laser Zentrum Hannover and focuses on both industrial laser systems and counter-drone applications.
UVC Partners manages approximately €800 million in assets and can initially invest up to €10 million, with as much as €40 million available over the lifetime of an individual investment.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our technology has reached the market and we are seeing strong order intake. We are now investing in manufacturing, quality assurance, sales and service to meet demand and deliver our systems at greater scale. We will establish INLEAP Photonics as a leading European provider of laser effectors.”
Dr.-Ing. Marius Lammers, CEO and Founder of INLEAP Photonics
“Drone defense is no longer a purely military issue. Airports, energy facilities and data centres require the same level of protection as defense installations. INLEAP Photonics is the only team whose technology meets the requirements of both environments: eye-safe for civilian use and robust enough for deployment in conflict zones. For us, this dual-use capability is the key lever for scaling.”
Amanda Birkenholz, Partner at UVC Partners
“Moving into series production requires more than simply adding capacity. Every unit must be manufactured, tested and accepted under the same defined conditions. This is why we are investing in standardised assembly and testing processes, rigorous quality assurance and reliable supply chains.”
Dr.-Ing. Felix Wellmann, CTO and Founder of INLEAP Photonics
Cloover Secures $100 Million Facility As Revenue Run Rate Tops $350 Million
Cloover has secured an additional $100 million financing facility, increasing its total financing capacity to more than $1.3 billion, as the residential energy platform expands across Europe and launches what it describes as an AI-native neo-utility.
The Berlin-based company also said it has reached profitability approximately three years after launching, with a revenue run rate exceeding $350 million.
Cloover’s financing capacity is supported by a $350 million guarantee from the European Investment Fund and is used to finance residential energy equipment and installations across its markets.
The company is expanding geographically with new offices in the U.K., France and Poland.
Cloover was founded in 2023 by Jodok Betschart, Peder Broms and Valentin Gönczy.
Rather than employing its own large installation salesforce, the company provides an AI-native operating system to independent installers, which Cloover says represent approximately 85% of the market.
The platform embeds financing at the point of sale for products such as residential solar systems, heat pumps and energy-efficiency upgrades. Consumers can receive a financing decision in less than two minutes, with no upfront payment and repayment terms extending as long as 25 years.
Approximately 20,000 installations annually now move through Cloover’s installer network across five European markets.
Cloover is also aggregating the solar systems, batteries, heat pumps and EV chargers financed through its platform into a virtual power plant.
Its software forecasts household-level energy generation and consumption and can adjust storage and flexible loads based on energy costs and limits selected by the household.
The aggregated systems can participate in energy markets by shifting consumption, supplying stored electricity when needed and trading flexibility in intraday markets.
Cloover describes that combination of financing, software, energy management and distributed capacity as an AI-native neo-utility.
KEY QUOTES:
“We reach households through the installers they already trust, and then we turn each of those homes into a power plant, and each homeowner into a participant in the energy market. That is a relationship that lasts for decades, not a single transaction.”
Jodok Betschart, Co-Founder of Cloover
“Everything we do runs on AI, from the underwriting to the way we optimize energy in each home. The incumbents are adding AI to systems built decades ago. We can do in seconds what takes them days, and the gap widens as we scale.”
Valentin Gönczy, Co-Founder of Cloover
“The hardware for the energy transition already works. What has been missing is a company that makes it affordable, reaches people through the installer they know, and turns their homes into a real energy business. That is the neo-utility we are building.”
Peder Broms, Co-Founder of Cloover
