Christian Schmidt, Chief Strategy Officer of HENSOLDT (L), and Dr. Philipp Gerbert, CEO of TUM Venture Labs (R), sign the partnership agreement. Photo: HENSOLDT

HENSOLDT, TUM Venture Labs Partner for Defence Innovation

: Mar 17, 2025 - : 10:25 pm

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HENSOLDT has entered into a partnership with TUM Venture Labs, an initiative led by the Technical University of Munich and UnternehmerTUM. Under this agreement, the company will serve as an industrial partner for the TUM Venture Lab ‘Aerospace & Defense’. The collaboration aims to enhance the exchange between industry and research while fostering investment opportunities in emerging start-ups.

TUM Venture Labs are innovation hubs that support technology-driven spin-offs. They provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources and environment needed to turn research outcomes into practical applications. There are twelve thematic Venture Labs, with the ‘Aerospace & Defense’ lab focusing on defence-related projects and supporting the establishment of a European Defence Tech Hub.

Through this partnership, HENSOLDT seeks to bridge the gap between science and industry. The company will offer founders and entrepreneurs insights into industry processes and requirements. Regular interactions through committees and working groups are expected to generate new perspectives, create synergies, and pave the way for future projects and investments in start-ups.

The defence industry is currently adapting to evolving security policy realities and changing military requirements. This partnership enables HENSOLDT to strengthen its innovative capabilities, particularly in areas like software-defined defence.

Munich’s status as a technology hub is further reinforced by this collaboration. HENSOLDT’s involvement supports TUM’s ambition to establish a European Defence Tech Hub, leveraging the city’s ecosystem for tech start-ups and contributing to Europe’s technological progress and sovereignty in the defence sector.

“Our innovative strength does not come from our own efforts alone. By integrating ourselves into a powerful network of research institutions and initiatives, we enable a dialogue about exciting future technologies and innovative ideas. At the same time, we are networking with a large number of founders with whom we will explore potential for future cooperation – including increased investment in their start-ups,” says Christian Schmidt, Chief Strategy Officer of HENSOLDT.

“As a leading European deep tech entrepreneurship hub, the TUM Venture Labs with our Munich partners are crucial for defence-related innovations in space, autonomous systems and software & AI,” explains Dr. Philipp Gerbert, CEO of TUM Venture Labs.

“In view of current geopolitical developments, we need to increasingly educate our start-ups on what it means to serve security and defence markets with their products,” adds Dr Florian Dötzer, who heads the security activities at TUM Venture Labs. “As a new partner, HENSOLDT is an invaluable asset at our side for this.”

Hensoldt / Tum-venture-labs /

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