Paris-based startup Gallium Defence, which develops affordable technology to detect drones, has come out of stealth mode after raising €7.1 million in a Seed funding round.
The round was led by Keen Venture Partners and 360 Capital, with participation from Omnes Capital and Polytechnique Ventures.
“As drones proliferate, traditional radars are reaching their operational and economic limits. At Gallium Defence, we started from a blank sheet with a simple question, asked by operators in the field: how do you meet 80% of the need at 20% of the price? Our answer: a radically rethought AESA radar architecture that makes extensive use of commercial off-the-shelf components and the power of embedded computing,” said Fournier, CEO and co-founder of Gallium Defence.
“Our radars are designed to be manufactured and deployed by the hundreds, not one at a time,” said Mandel, COO and co-founder of Gallium Defence.
“Great defence starts with superior visibility. Gallium Defence has the team, the industrial partners and the cost model to make drone detection a standard layer at every critical site – the kind of European capability our fund is proud to back,” said Alexander Ribbink, General Partner, Keen Venture Partners.
Gallium Defence was founded in April 2026 by Eric Fournier, Florian Lemoine and Robin Mandel. All three founders have experience in the defence and industrial sectors. Fournier spent 17 years advising defence and aerospace companies at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Lemoine has more than 15 years of experience in the defence sector and previously worked as an adviser to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT). Mandel also has over 15 years of industry and consulting experience, having worked at companies such as Thales, BCG and Safran.
With its Seed funding secured, Gallium Defence is moving ahead with its drone detection technology. The company is already holding monthly field demonstrations and aims to provide a European-made solution for detecting drones. It plans to start taking orders for its GDS-10 system in the first quarter of 2027.
