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August 12, 2025

Tekever: The defence unicorn outselling its big-spending rivals

Tekever has raised significantly less funding than some of the most-talked about defence techs in Europe — but is drawing in coveted contracts


Freya Pratty

7 min read

Tekever CEO Ricardo Mendes. Photo: Tekever.

By the time Europe’s defence tech boom had started to take hold in 2022, Portuguese startup Tekever was entering its third decade.

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Picture of deeptech startup Tekever's drone used for defence purposes.
Tekever's drone
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UK prime minister Keir Starmer meets Tekever CEO Ricardo Mendes
UK prime minister Keir Starmer meets Tekever CEO Ricardo Mendes
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Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty is Sifted's associate editor. She covers UK tech and leads Sifted's investigations. Follow her on X , LinkedIn and Bluesky

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