£102m UK Innovation Science and Seed Fund prioritises Defence and Security Investment into UK-based startups

The UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), independently managed by Future Planet Capital (Ventures), is unleashing support for defence, security and cyber startups through its Defence & Security Seed portfolio ("D2S").

This pioneering initiative was launched in 2022 and has recently received a further injection of capital from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as the UKI2S fund tops £102m. D2S looks across a broad range of technologies with dual use applications including cybersecurity, hardware, internet of things, robotics and sensors. D2S works closely with the Ministry of Defence (MOD), including the department's Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).

D2S has already invested £2m across five defence and security startups since its launch and is actively looking to deploy the remaining £16m.

D2S follows the same model as the main UKI2S Fund, investing in startups and spinouts at the Pre-Seed and Seed stage. The overall aim of D2S is to invest using public money to help catalyse private sector investment, strengthen national security, foster innovation, and protect sovereign capability.