Apeiron Ventures is venturing into dual-use and defense technology by leading the initial funding round for French startup Alta Ares, the recent winner of the NATO Innovation Challenge 2025. This startup has developed a technological solution for detecting and neutralizing glide bombs, successfully tested in actual conditions in Ukraine.
With this investment, Alta Ares is set to expand its operations in Greece, opening a new office in Athens. This move aims to bolster the company’s research and development (R&D) efforts and enhance its commercial footprint in the region. Alta Ares offers advanced artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for drones, enabling real-time video analysis and processing directly on the drone, eliminating the need for network or cloud connectivity.
Apeiron Ventures partners Dimitris Kalavros Gousiou and Nikos Antoniou shared their enthusiasm: “Alta Ares has introduced a pioneering technology that meets real and urgent needs in the defense sector, utilizing high-value data from operational environments. We are thrilled to support a startup that has validated the effectiveness of its solutions in realistic scenarios. Its expansion into Greece is expected to significantly augment its tech team with skilled professionals from our country and enhance its commercial reach in Southeastern Europe.”
Founded in January 2024, Alta Ares specializes in artificial intelligence solutions for drones. Key technologies include the Gamma solution, an AI system designed for real-time video analysis and recognition of military and industrial objects, and Ulix, a machine learning operations platform that manages the lifecycle of operational data, allowing for continuous training and enhancement of AI models based on real field data.
The autonomous nature of Alta Ares’s solutions, which function without network or cloud dependency, makes them particularly well suited for applications in areas with limited communication capabilities. The company recently secured 2 million euros in pre-seed funding. Apeiron Ventures, established by Dimitris Kalavros-Gousiou and Nikos Antoniou, focuses on innovative startups in Greece, the Greek diaspora, and across Europe and beyond, with a strong emphasis on the Gen Z economy and B2B software.
