Sky Spy Raises $1.6M to Launch the First Battle-Proven Portable SIGINT
Defense tech, Dual-use systems
💎 A frontline-validated SIGINT breakthrough aims to redefine spectrum dominance in modern warfare
Sky Spy, a dual-use defense intelligence startup operating across the US and EU, has secured $1.6 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round to bring its autonomous SIGINT platform to market, scale production, and expand its engineering and operations teams. The round was co-led by Expeditions Fund and Superangel, joined by Freedom Fund VC, Sunfish Partners, Crosscourt Ventures, and Material Ventures. The investment marks one of the most notable early-stage raises in European defense innovation this year, reflecting the acceleration of battlefield-driven technological development.
The company emerges from one of the most challenging testbeds in the world: the war in Ukraine. Lessons from this conflict have underscored a decisive shift in tactical intelligence — whoever controls the electromagnetic spectrum gains operational advantage. Yet traditional SIGINT platforms, designed for structured or low-density environments, have repeatedly failed to deliver timely detection under conditions where thousands of consumer, commercial, and military transmitters saturate the airwaves. Soldiers operating in these environments reported missing up to 80% of high-priority small targets due to signal congestion and the limitations of legacy systems.
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Sky Spy’s response is Agent 001, a compact payload weighing just over 500 grams that transforms small drones into AI-enhanced spectrum hunters. Unlike conventional SIGINT units that rely on large aircraft or static ground stations, Agent 001 processes the full signal intelligence pipeline directly on the drone. It detects, classifies, and geolocates hostile emitters — including UAS control stations and jammers — even under jamming pressure or GPS denial. The system fuses RF intelligence with visual confirmation, offering a level of actionable precision not previously available in a device of this size or price category.
The breakthrough is not theoretical. Agent 001 has already undergone frontline validation with active military units in Ukraine, where it demonstrated reliability in dense electromagnetic conditions and live combat scenarios. Soldiers involved in the evaluation described it as the first portable system capable of delivering real-time, high-accuracy SIGINT in contested environments — an endorsement that carries significant weight in a defense sector where practical performance is essential.
Sky Spy’s technology is built on proprietary filtering algorithms, custom RF hardware, advanced direction-finding methods, and a dataset enriched by real combat exposure. This combination enables the system to achieve market-leading precision at a fraction of the cost of legacy SIGINT infrastructure, creating a compelling proposition for governments, defense contractors, and dual-use UAV manufacturers. The company is already in active integration discussions with several world-leading UAS producers, aiming to embed its capabilities into next-generation ISR platforms.
The founding team — originating from Ukraine — brings a rare blend of technical engineering expertise and operational insight from real battlefield experience. This dual perspective shapes the company’s mission. “Sky Spy was built by people who’ve seen how unreliable intelligence costs lives,” said CEO Arsenii Hurtavtsov. “Our mission is simple: to give forces real-time awareness in the spectrum — because the side that dominates the spectrum dominates the war.”
Investors see the same urgency and potential. “We were looking for a product that could radically improve signal intelligence in contested environments,” noted Andrzej Rościszewski, Investment Associate at Expeditions Fund. “Sky Spy’s initial product, trained on battlefield electromagnetic data, offers an attritable airborne reconnaissance platform that addresses one of today’s most pressing tactical challenges.” Jaan Kokk, Senior Associate at Superangel, added that the team combines deep technical talent with real operational understanding — a combination he believes is critical for rapid innovation in defense.
Beyond combat applications, Sky Spy’s dual-use architecture positions it for broader intelligence, security, and infrastructure-monitoring markets. But in the near term, the company’s focus is clear: scale deployment of Agent 001, deepen partnerships with defense customers, and accelerate development of fully autonomous, AI-driven SIGINT systems capable of operating in the most hostile RF conditions on Earth.
As modern warfare becomes increasingly defined by electromagnetic maneuvering, Sky Spy aims to deliver the technology that enables smaller, more agile units to access intelligence once reserved for nation-state-level platforms. The company’s early validation, combined with its technical foundations and investor backing, positions it as one of the most ambitious new entrants in the European defense technology ecosystem.
Defense tech, Dual-use systems
