Invitation only

Defence Tech Morning Mingle

Where are the next opportunities for defence and dual-use startups emerging in Finland and Europe—and which investors, partners, and customers should founders be talking to now?

Location

Sitra (Katutason Auditorio ja lämpiö), Itämerenkatu 11-13, Helsinki

Schedule

Thursday 11.06.2026 at 08.15-10.30

Tapahtuman kuvituskuva.
Kuva: Topias Dean / Sitra

Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra, together with the DEFINE – Defence Innovation Network Finland, is hosting a relaxed morning mingle bringing together defence and dual-use startups and growth companies, alongside venture, growth, and strategic investors active in defence, security, and deep tech. Over 20 startups and scaleups are joining, along with tens of investors.

What is this about

Defence Tech Morning Mingle is an invite-only, informal networking session designed for founders of defence and dual-use startups and growth companies who want to meet investors, partners, and ecosystem actors in a low-threshold, time-efficient setting.

Participating companies range from early validation to international scale, offering multiple entry points for discussion around funding, customers, and partnerships.

The session brings together:

  • Defence and dual-use startups and growth companies
  • Venture capital, growth investors, CVCs, and strategic investors
  • Public funders, policy actors, and representatives of the Finnish Defence Forces

The event is organised alongside ARCTIC15 and hosted at Sitra, making it an easy opportunity to build connections during a busy ecosystem week.

Programme

8:15

Doors open

Coffe and porridge!

8.30

Welcome words

Keynote

Major General Sami Nurmi, Deputy Chief of Staff Strategy, The Finnish Defence Forces

Matchmaking

Meet the teams

10.30

Closing the event

10.30

11.30

Invitation only. Opportunity for 1-to-1 meetings with investors, facilitated by Redstone

More information

Heikki Aura

Lead Specialist, Innovations