{"id":853478,"date":"2025-06-05T05:13:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T10:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/05\/how-nato-is-turning-to-startups-to-outpace-its-rivals\/"},"modified":"2025-06-05T05:13:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T10:13:10","slug":"how-nato-is-turning-to-startups-to-outpace-its-rivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/05\/how-nato-is-turning-to-startups-to-outpace-its-rivals\/","title":{"rendered":"How NATO is turning to startups to outpace its rivals"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

War is being redefined by technology. Drones now swarm where soldiers once marched, AI can detect threats faster than spies, and cyberattacks are disrupting critical infrastructure without a single shot fired. To prepare for the battles of tomorrow, NATO is turning to startups.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0In June 2023, the Alliance launched DIANA, an initiative that funds and facilitates defence innovations. Across a network of over 200 accelerator sites and test centres, DIANA brings together universities, industry, and governments to work with startups<\/a> on new defence capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the helm is Jyoti Hirani-Driver. A former counter-terrorism policy advisor for the British government, Hirani-Driver was appointed DIANA COO last year. Her mission: to find dual-use technology that can serve both soldiers and civilians in the 32 NATO member nations \u2014 and get it into the field before NATO\u2019s adversaries do.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first time ever we\u2019re working as one on defence innovation,\u201d she tells TNW.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always needed <\/span>cutting-edge <\/span>tech and innovation. We need it to outpace our adversaries and to make sure our armed forces have the best warfighting capabilities. DIANA can help us do that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At TNW Conference<\/a> on June 19, Hirani-Driver will share her views on the rise of defence tech during a panel discussion<\/a> between four of Europe\u2019s leaders in the sector. Ahead of the session, she outlined the goals of DIANA \u2014 and the value of dual-use tech.<\/span><\/p>\n

The defence tech path to market<\/b><\/h2>\n

Delivering new innovations to the armed forces can be a tricky task. The defence market has long been the domain of big contractors, complex integration processes, and lengthy procurement cycles \u2014 which can delay the uptake of emerging technologies. It can also be challenging for startups to navigate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her career in government gave Hirani-Driver a deep understanding of the obstacles.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was working in counter-terrorism during the rise of ISIS and supported British responses to terrorist attacks. Her experiences showed that national security required new approaches.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew we couldn\u2019t just keep doing the same thing,\u201d she says. \u201cWe needed to look at innovation and engage with the tech industry.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hirani-Driver soon had a chance to put that into practice. In 2018, she was appointed Chief of Staff for the Ministry of Defence\u2019s (MoD) Defence Innovation Directorate. Under her leadership, the unit secured \u00a31.1bn (\u20ac1.3bn) of tech R&D funding for the MoD. The investments backed advances in hypersonics, big data, autonomous systems, AI, and space-based technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy job there was to embed innovation into the lifeblood of defence \u2014 not just in terms of capabilities, but in our people as well,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to think innovatively in everything we do. We need to become smarter at training our people, giving them<\/span> <\/span>the <\/span>experience so they know what to expect <\/span>and how to succeed on the battlefield.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That mindset underpins DIANA\u2019s mission to support dual-use tech<\/a>. The approach expands the talent pool by attracting companies from outside the defence sector, accelerates adoption through faster-moving civilian markets, and boosts commercial viability through broader revenue streams. If startups can scale and survive in the civilian world, they\u2019re more likely to succeed in defence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are startups doing amazing things in the civilian world that don\u2019t realise how valuable they could be to defence,\u201d says Hirani-Driver. \u201cWe help them make that leap.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jyoti
Hirani-Driver was appointed COO of NATO DIANA in January 2024. Credit: NATO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How startups can make the leap<\/b><\/h2>\n

DIANA\u2019s programmes call for solutions to specific defence and security challenges. The last five were Energy & Power; Data & Information Security; Sensing & Surveillance; Human Health & Performance; and Critical Infrastructure & Logistics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Successful applicants then enter a six-month programme delivered by <\/span>accelerator<\/span>\u00a0sites across the Alliance. They also gain access to NATO mentors, end-users, and unique test centres.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of these test sites is CR14 in Estonia, a military-grade \u201cmultiverse of cyber ranges\u201d comprising virtual environments for cybersecurity development. Under DIANA\u2019s umbrella, British startup Goldilock went there to validate a physical network isolation solution that instantly disconnects and physically segments critical national infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Hirani-Driver says the experience offered more than technical validation: \u201cThey can take that as a stamp of approval that their technology has been validated at one of the best cyber test centres in the Alliance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Each selected startup also receives \u20ac100,000 \u2014 but Hirani-Driver insists that cash is not the main value. \u201cThe gem in our programme is connecting those startups with end users, mentors, and test centres,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want them to <\/span>receive a bit of funding<\/span>, finish the programme, and disappear from our ecosystem. Success for us means keeping those good ideas alive, helping them grow, and eventually seeing them deliver tech directly to our forces.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A diverse array of them have already progressed through the programmes. They range from Goldilock\u2019s cyber defence system, to Lithuanian startup Astrolight\u2019s secure laser communication systems, and Polish tech firm Revobeam\u2019s intelligent antennas \u2014 which are particularly suited for unmanned vehicles operating in challenging environments.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Netherlands has also been represented. Delft-based Lobster Robotics<\/a> joined DIANA last year after catching attention for its autonomous underwater vehicles for seabed mapping \u2014 a technology valuable for both marine conservation and naval surveillance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to see Lobster Robotics delivering to the Navies across the Alliance,\u201d Hirani-Driver says.<\/p>\n

With the next wave of DIANA challenges launching this summer, the programme is set to expand into additional focus areas. Hirani-Driver wants them to bring new innovations to NATO\u2019s warfighting capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig defence contractors have an important role to play in the security of the Alliance, but we continually need new players, more choice \u2014 and better tech,\u201d she says. \u201cInnovations from early-stage startups and SMEs are therefore critical for the Alliance and our defence capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you want to catch Hirani-Driver\u2019s talk or anything else on the\u00a0<\/i>packed agenda<\/i><\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0<\/i>TNW Conference<\/i><\/a>, we have a special offer for you. Use the code TNWXMEDIA2025 at the checkout to get 30% off\u00a0<\/i>your ticket<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Thomas Macaulay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

War is being redefined by technology. Drones now swarm where soldiers once marched, AI can detect threats faster than spies, and cyberattacks are disrupting critical infrastructure without a single shot fired. To prepare for the battles of tomorrow, NATO is turning to startups. \u00a0In June 2023, the Alliance launched DIANA, an initiative that funds and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":853479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4312,46,1458],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-853478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-startups","category-technology","category-turning"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=853478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/853478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/853479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=853478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=853478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=853478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}