TERASi, a Swedish spinout from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, has raised €11 million in seed funding to scale its secure wireless communication systems for European defence and resilience. The round was co-led by the NATO Innovation Fund and JOIN Capital, with participation from In-Q-Tel, D3 and several returning investors. The company says the investment will accelerate deployment of technology designed to keep military and critical infrastructure connected in contested environments.
Closing a Critical Capability Gap
European military forces often operate in environments where fixed infrastructure is destroyed, satellite links are unavailable, or GPS and radio-frequency spectrum are actively contested. These conditions create an urgent need for secure real-time data transfer between units, platforms and assets even while on the move. TERASi addresses this gap as the only European end-to-end producer of millimetre-wave hardware for tactical communications, according to the company.
How the Patented AirCore Technology Works
TERASi uses its patented AirCore technology to build compact units that transmit highly directional millimetre-wave beams, making signals exceptionally difficult to detect or jam. Traditional commercial and military systems often rely on omnidirectional signals across a narrow frequency range, leaving them vulnerable to interception. By accessing the millimetre-wave domain, TERASi delivers pocket-sized devices that can be deployed in minutes on tripods or drones and remain compatible with any tactical platform.
Performance and Deployment Advantages
Once deployed, the units form a wireless communications network with significant speed, capacity and resilience advantages. The links can transmit large volumes of data up to 50 times faster than satellites and cover distances beyond 100 kilometres. The company states that this approach offers a fraction of the cost and time required by alternative solutions while supporting high bandwidth and low latency requirements.
Funding Will Support New Capability Areas
The new capital will help TERASi scale its current connectivity products and expand its engineering and field teams. It will also support development of new millimetre-wave based products integrated into a single system targeting connectivity, spatial awareness and electronic warfare. The company combines expertise in engineering, microelectronics, RF design, 5G and 6G networks, and operational military experience, and it already works with defence primes, the Swedish Armed Forces, the European Space Agency and European telecom providers.
Investor and Leadership Perspectives
James Campion, CEO and co-founder of TERASi, said the ability to move decisive information securely at speed is about restoring Europe's freedom to operate and communicate on its own terms. He added that resilience matters beyond the battlefield as hybrid threats increasingly target critical infrastructure and remote industrial operations. Sander Verbrugge of the NATO Innovation Fund described TERASi's system as smaller, lighter and faster than comparable solutions and noted it represents the fund's first direct investment in Sweden.
Simone Lavizzari, Principal at Join Capital, highlighted the team's ability to turn sophisticated MEMS technology into practical, high-speed communications that are difficult to detect or jam. He said the founders combine technical innovation with a clear path toward scalable production and customer-focused product development. Investors see the company's millimetre-wave approach as a unique European response to growing hybrid warfare challenges.
The €11 million seed round marks a significant step for European defence and resilience, backing a technology designed to keep critical data flowing when satellite and fixed infrastructure are contested. TERASi's millimetre-wave systems aim to provide a secure, fast and deployable alternative at a lower cost than existing solutions. With support from NATO-linked and private investors, the company is positioned to expand its products and help European allies communicate more reliably across the battlefield and beyond.