Three things happened in October. Europe put much more money into defense tech than last year. Buntar Aerospace, a Sigma Software Labs portfolio company, raised $16M. And three people from Sigma Software started building the AI products they submitted to Labs Galaxy’s AI Product Ideas Contest.
Seven Companies Took 85% of Europe’s Defense Money
Dealroom and Resilience Media report that European defense tech funding has reached $7.4B in 2026, nearly three times last year’s $2.6B. Seven companies took 85% of it, and Germany alone raised $3.5B. Ukrainian teams are raising outside that circle, so if you know someone building a defense or dual-use tech product, introduce us. Refer a startup
27 Billion-Dollar Rounds in One Quarter
Global startups raised $159B in Q3, with a record number of rounds at $1B or more — about a third of all venture capital that quarter. AI took 64% of the total, and Databricks and Safe Superintelligence raised $5B each. If a client asks why every roadmap now has AI on it, this is the backdrop. See the data
What Gets a Product Into Our Portfolio
Capital is no longer the scarce part – access to enterprise customers is. In a new interview, Kyrylo Hrinchak sets out what gets a product into the Labs’ portfolio: a problem someone already pays for, survival through security and compliance, and founders who adapt. Useful reading if you are building one. Read the interview
Our COO Teaches Founders to Pitch
Investors judge the idea and how clearly a team explains it. Yaroslava Gritsaienko teaches that second part in a new online course for Ukrainian founders, built by Vacuum Deep Tech Acceleration within Win-Win EDIH Ukraine. Her module covers pitch formats, structure and tough questions. Watch the first lecture free and use SIGMA30 for 30% off the rest. Take the course
Buntar Aerospace Raises $16M in New Funding Round
Our portfolio company has now raised $30M in total. The latest $16M round, led by Freedom Fund VC, follows a $10.4M round from Axon Enterprise in March, bringing two major rounds in a single year. Buntar-3 operates under heavy electronic warfare, while Buntar Copilot puts AI-powered decision support to the test in real-world conditions. Read the story
Legal Nodes Co-Founder Shortlisted in London
The Global Innovator Awards honor founders who came to the UK on its Global Talent visa. Margaryta Sivakova, co-founder of our portfolio starship Legal Nodes, is shortlisted for Ecosystem Builder of the Year. Our portfolio is full of founders like her — their stories are on the blog. Read their stories
Meet the Winners of the AI Product Ideas Contest
Sigma Software specialists sent in more than 55 ideas, from which the honorary jury selected three winners: Principal Software Developer Alexander Lysenko, Senior Test Engineer Olha Yemets, and Senior Project Manager Iryna Tereshchenko. Their ideas are now moving into development and pilots with external companies. See what they are building
Be inspired, be creative, and believe in your own ideas.
