Amid global political instability Europe faces an uncomfortable challenge: the need to rapidly scale its defense capabilities – in a resposible way. This DLD26 session, moderated by Tanit Koch (FOCUS), brings together Benedikt Franke (Munich Security Conference); Marco Iannaccone (HypoVereinsbank); and Balázs Nagy, CEO and Co-Founder of TYTAN Technologies.
Europe’s primary hurdle is not a lack of resources, the discussion makes clear. With plenty of capital and technical know-how to go around, it’s more a matter of mindset, Iannaccone argues. “I do believe we need speed and we need scale”, he says. “We need to probably wake up a little bit, have a sense of urgency on a daily basis.”
Franke suggests the missing ingredient is the “will of the people” to change their lives and priorities. “There are still too many of us who live in two worlds at once”, he says, “who know that this world is not in a good place, and who still do not change a thing about their personal lives, about their political activities, about their opinions.”
Nagy notes a change in the funding environment for defense-tech startups. Just two years ago, he recalls, traditional banks routinely rejected defense startups, forcing founders to rely on private business angels. Since then, “everything changed”, he says, and Tytan Technologies is now one of Europe’s leading drone makers.
Watch the video to explore this session in detail.
