Presto News | Q3 2025
VC and startup news on technologies that protect the future + updates on all things Presto
Dear partners & friends of Presto,
The past months have underscored an accelerating shift: the convergence of defense tech and AI.
While AI innovation hums in places like San Francisco, real-world iteration is shifting to new geographies – especially Ukraine – where speed of development is the ultimate advantage.
The opportunity is clear: moving beyond vendor lock-in toward interoperable ‘lego brick’ systems, solving production bottlenecks, and turning overwhelming data into decisive insight. Defense remains one of the last frontiers where AI has barely scratched the surface.
Our conviction is simple: the best opportunities lie in betting against consensus – and backing bold teams to navigate the complexities that stall incumbents.
Let’s keep building the future, one autonomous brick at a time 🧱
Without further ado, feel free to jump to the sections that interest you the most:
1. Highlights
2. New PTH investments
3. Market insights
4. Brainfood
5. #MeetPresto
6. Department of memes
⭐ Highlights
Ready. Aim. Firehawk.
In modern conflicts, the real constraint isn’t drones or launchers – it’s what powers them. Firehawk is rethinking advanced energetics, making propellant production faster, safer, and deployable where it’s needed most. We’re proud to join their $60M Series C as the only European investor and strategic partner, bridging US deeptech and European resilience 🔥🦅 Congratulations, Will Edwards and team!
The Recursive
Resilience Media
Startups ON AIR
From AI to longevity, from couriers to careers – the future is being written by startups. Together with CNN Prima NEWS, we’ve launched Start[up]ujeme, a new TV podcast unpacking what’s really happening in the startup world: bold ideas, tough challenges, genuine insights. Seven episodes out, five more in the making. Watch or listen on your favorite platform 🎬
FTV Prima
🔔 New PTH investments
Literally fired up to welcome the newest member of the Presto Tech Horizons portfolio family 👋🏼
🇺🇲 Firehawk Aerospace | $60M Series C | 1789 Capital, Draper Associates, Presto Tech Horizons, Decisive Point, and other leading VCs
Coming soon: 3 exceptional companies that help create a safer, more resilient future.
💡 Market insights
European VC market news
- European exit activity surged to €23.8B in Q3 2025, a 54.55% QoQ and 35.23% YoY increase. The recovery was led by the Klarna IPO (€12.7B) and supported by major M&A deals such as Sana’s €940.9M sale and Cognigy’s €815.1M acquisition.
- Outlook for Q4 2025: cautious optimism following the EU-US trade agreement. Continued strength expected in AI, defense tech, quantum, and cleantech.
Defense tech market news
- Defense VC funding in Europe has already reached $1.5B in 2025 so far, up by 50% from the 2024 total, and is projected to hit $2.3B by year-end.
- Dual-use momentum: Investment in space ($1.4B), quantum ($1.6B), and semiconductors ($1.1B) continues to rise, underscoring defense-adjacent innovation
- Quantum leadership: Europe hosts 160+ VC-backed quantum startups, with strong activity in cryptography and computing
- U.S. dominance persists: The U.S. accounts for 85% of defense VC since 2019, followed by EU27 (10%), though Europe’s share has grown notably in the past three years
For a deep-dive on these market highlights 👆🏼 follow these resources 👇🏼
- Global VC First Look | PitchBook
- Venture Pulse Europe | KPMG
- European Venture Report | PitchBook
- State of Defense Tech 🔥 | Dealroom & Resilience Media
🧠 Brainfood
In-house thoughts worth sharing 🙌🏼
- Startups Over Fighter Jets: The Future of Defense Tech
With conflicts at a 70-year high, CEE is becoming a driving force in defense and resilience tech. Our Partners highlight Czechia’s deep talent base and growing focus on AI-powered security. - Faster, Smarter, Safer: Innovation Is Our Armor | Lucie Bresova
When threats evolve in weeks, innovation cycles cannot take years. Lucie explains why Europe’s defense desperately needs the speed and agility of startups. - The EU Just Can’t Help Itself (Again) | Vojta Rocek
Vojta highlights how political caution and fragmented laws still hold back Europe’s startup ecosystem. We need a single entity – not 27 more versions of the same problem.
More tech thoughts to feed your mind 📚
- The Case for Strategic Autonomy | Joe Byerly
Byerly argues that in modern conflict, speed is the operational imperative – accelerated decision‑making and acquisition cycles determine strategic advantage. - Generating 5x+ Alpha in Defense/Resilience VC | Thorsten Claus
Claus outlines how defense‑and‑resilience VCs can outperform with >5× returns by investing with patience, systems‑level clarity, and moral conviction under radical uncertainty. - The Narrative | Filip Kocian
Kocian explores how founders’ narratives – vision, story‑crafting and strategic articulation – become the hidden engine behind capital‑allocation and startup success in deeptech. - The AI Utopia Doesn’t Exist Without Bio | Omri Drory
Drory argues that true AI breakthroughs lie at the intersection of biology and computation, and AI-enabled bio companies are converting hype into meaningful impact.
👋🏼 #MeetPresto
After a whirlwind of fall events, it’s time to trade airports for whiteboards – at least for a bit. Still, we’re not done talking tech, defense, and dual-use just yet. Follow what’s next on LinkedIn.
🇫🇷 European Defence Week | Oct 27-31 | Paris, France 🎤
🇳🇱 SuperReturn Europe | Nov 4-7 | Amsterdam, Netherlands
🇨🇿 NextGenZ | Nov 7 | Prague, Czechia 🎤
🇨🇿 Future of Export Summit 2025 | Nov 11 | Prague, Czechia 🎤
🇫🇷 Tectonic European Defense Summit | Nov 12-13 | Paris, France 🎤
🇨🇿 Velvet Innovation Conference | Nov 13 | Brno, Czechia 🎤
🇫🇮 Slush | Nov 19-20 | Helsinki, Finland
🇸🇰 Gluon Syndicate Pitch #4 | Dec 3 | Bratislava, Slovakia 🎤
🇱🇹 Startup Lithuania Accelerator Expo | Dec 11 | Vilnius, Lithuania
🇦🇹 The Venture Mindset | Jan 13-15 | Vienna, Austria
🤓 Department of memes
That's it from Presto.
Stay tuned for the next issue ✌🏼