NATO Innovation Fund Enhances Investment Team to Foster Defense and Security Innovation

Amid increased momentum for defense, the NATO Innovation Fund refreshes its investment team

The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) has refreshed its investment team amid increased momentum for defense and security. The change comes as the fund’s partners aim to empower deep tech founders in addressing challenges in defence, security, and resilience.

In a significant move, the fund has welcomed two new partners: Ulrich Quay and Sander Verbrugge. Both will be based in Amsterdam and bring valuable expertise to the table. Quay, a German national, previously led corporate investments at BMW as Vice President, where he founded and led the corporate venture fund, BMW i Ventures.

On the other hand, Sander Verbrugge, a Dutch PhD in molecular biophysics, will join forces with NIF from his previous role at Innovation Industries, where he played a crucial part. The third partner is London-based Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky, who has been with the fund since its inception.

The announcement comes as the fund has made 19 investments so far, with seven funds and 12 startups in its portfolio, including Space Forge and Tekever.

Source: techcrunch.com