American-Ukrainian protection know-how startup Vermeer has closed its $10 million Sequence A spherical, led by Draper Associates with participation from AeroX Ventures, Boscolo Intervest, Excessive Level Ventures, Rockaway Ventures, and the U.S. Air Power Techstars accelerator. The funding brings Vermeer’s whole Sequence A capital to $10 million and can help growth of its optical navigation platform for each protection and industrial use.
Headquartered in New York with ahead operations in Kyiv, Vermeer develops a Visible Positioning System (VPS) that permits drones and different autonomous platforms to navigate with out GPS. The system makes use of electro-optical or infrared cameras and AI processing on an Nvidia platform to match visible information to 2D or 3D maps, delivering correct positioning even when GPS is jammed or spoofed.
“Constructing superior know-how in a struggle zone shouldn’t be straightforward — nevertheless it’s the one technique to make it actual,” stated Brian Streem, Vermeer CEO. “Our purpose isn’t simply to provide drones mass — it’s to provide them precision, intelligence, and goal.”
Vermeer Funding Helps A Twin-Use Expertise In-built Fight
Vermeer’s know-how has already been deployed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to keep up navigation functionality underneath digital assault. The VPS system can be in use by U.S. protection organizations and main contractors together with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
“Twin-use tech catalyzes technical progress in each the protection and industrial sectors,” stated Andy Tang, accomplice at Draper Associates. “One cause we backed Vermeer is the success they’ve achieved in serving to Ukraine strengthen its drone fleet.”
Since becoming a member of the Air Power Techstars accelerator, Vermeer has acquired over $7 million in SBIR and AFWERX awards to develop its optical navigation system. The corporate has grown from 10 to 40 workers prior to now 12 months, eight of whom are based mostly in Ukraine.
Context: Ukraine’s Increasing Drone Ecosystem
Ukraine has dramatically scaled its drone applications by means of new procurement plans and home growth efforts. In March 2025, the Ministry of Protection authorised the “Fowl of Prey” drone for fight use and introduced an bold plan to buy 4.5 million FPV drones. By September, Ukraine had outlined its purpose of turning into Europe’s drone manufacturing hub, easing export restrictions and pursuing partnerships throughout the EU.
In that surroundings, applied sciences like Vermeer’s are very important. Ukraine faces day by day electronic-warfare challenges, and a GPS-independent navigation system permits UAVs to function reliably in contested airspace. Vermeer’s presence in Kyiv permits for fast iteration and direct suggestions from frontline customers — a uncommon benefit for a startup at this stage.
Outlook: Strengthening Autonomy Throughout Sectors
Vermeer’s Sequence A milestone highlights how Ukraine’s war-time innovation is reshaping international drone growth. The corporate sits on the intersection of combat-tested know-how and industrial scalability, combining U.S. enterprise help with operational perception from lively battle zones.
For Ukraine and its allies, Vermeer’s VPS enhances the resilience and precision of drone fleets. For the worldwide drone trade, it represents a step towards better autonomy in environments the place GPS alerts are unreliable — from city air mobility to logistics and inspection operations.
As Ukraine evolves from a drone shopper to a co-developer of next-generation unmanned programs, Vermeer’s success underscores how collaboration between U.S. and Ukrainian innovators can speed up the broader shift towards GPS-free autonomy.
About Vermeer
Vermeer is a New York-based know-how firm creating vision-based autonomy options for protection and industrial use. A graduate of the Air Power Accelerator powered by Techstars, Vermeer’s optical navigation system permits drones to function exactly with out GPS. Be taught extra at www.getvermeer.com.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, an expert drone companies market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone trade and the regulatory surroundings for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles centered on the industrial drone house and is a global speaker and acknowledged determine within the trade. Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising for brand new applied sciences.
For drone trade consulting or writing, E-mail Miriam.
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