DOD Solution is an Estonian-Ukrainian defence technology company founded in 2023 that develops embedded artificial intelligence and onboard computing for unmanned systems. Its flagship AURA AI platform combines an onboard computer with an autonomy software stack designed to allow unmanned platforms to perform navigation, perception, recognition and tracking when GPS or communications are degraded or unavailable.
The company works with manufacturers of unmanned platforms and is developing its technology for different types of UAVs and other autonomous systems. Its September 2026 financing comes at a stage when the company is moving from technology development towards larger-scale production and international market expansion.
What this article covers
- DOD Solution’s AURA AI platform and its technology
- Its early investment and pre-seed financing during 2026
- The €1.8 million round announced in September 2026
- The role of strategic and venture investors
- What the funding journey shows for entrepreneurs in emerging technology
Building autonomy into unmanned systems
DOD Solution focuses on a technical challenge increasingly important to unmanned systems: enabling computing and autonomy directly onboard the platform.
Its AURA AI system combines the AURA single-board computer with proprietary software. The company describes the platform as enabling navigation, perception, target recognition, tracking and terminal guidance in environments where conventional positioning or communications may be unavailable.
The company says AURA AI has been used in Ukraine and is being developed for integration across different unmanned platforms. Partnerships with technology companies including Lantronix and Axelera AI have also supported the development of its onboard computing capabilities.
In August 2026, DOD Solution announced a partnership with Axelera AI focused on next-generation onboard AI computing.
September 2026: €1.8 million pre-seed round
On 28 September 2026, DOD Solution announced that it had closed a €1.8 million pre-seed funding round.
The round included Angel One Fund, Better Angle, Defence Builder Fund, Network VC, Newfund, UAID Fund, WildField Ventures and 4C-Next Holding AG. Canadian drone technology company Draganfly participated as a strategic investor.
The company plans to use the funding to bring its next-generation AURA single-board computer into production, advance AURA OS and its onboard AI capabilities, and accelerate integrations with unmanned-platform manufacturers in Ukraine and international markets.
The company is also developing its next-generation hardware with the objective of meeting NDAA compliance requirements, supporting its expansion into European and North American markets.
The financing journey
The September round follows several earlier financing steps in 2026.
In March, DOD Solution opened a pre-seed financing process and said it planned to raise €1 million. In April, Angel One invested in the company. The amount associated with that investment has been reported at approximately €300,000, while the amount invested by Network.VC Defense during the subsequent pre-seed process was not publicly disclosed by the fund.
DOD Solution’s September round therefore represents a significant expansion of its investor base and disclosed capital compared with the company’s earlier financing.
The company has also developed partnerships with technology and defence organisations alongside its fundraising activity. This combination of capital and industrial relationships is relevant to a company whose technology needs to be integrated into hardware platforms rather than sold simply as standalone software.
What DOD Solution’s funding journey shows
DOD Solution illustrates how a deep-tech company can progressively build financing around a technically demanding product.
The company began with its core autonomy technology and early private investment, then used the 2026 pre-seed process to attract specialist investors. By September, the financing involved a larger group of venture investors and a strategic industrial participant.
For entrepreneurs working on hardware-software systems, the journey shows the importance of demonstrating not only that the technology works, but also that it can be integrated into existing platforms and manufactured at scale.
The investor profile is also relevant. DOD Solution attracted funds specialising in defence, venture capital and technology, alongside Draganfly as a strategic investor. For specialised startups, investors who understand the market and can contribute industrial relationships may provide value beyond capital.
What this means for entrepreneurs
Emerging-technology founders often need to finance several parallel challenges: product development, testing, manufacturing, integration and market entry. A funding strategy can therefore be structured around these milestones rather than around a single large fundraising target.
DOD Solution’s September 2026 round demonstrates how early financing can provide the foundation for a larger pre-seed raise once the technology, partnerships and market opportunity have developed further.
For founders in defence technology, robotics, embedded AI or other hardware-intensive fields, the example also highlights the importance of combining financial investors with strategic partners that can contribute technical expertise, market access or integration opportunities.
Entrepreneurs looking to build their own funding roadmap can explore Fundingtrip’s funding courses for practical guidance on finding funding opportunities and preparing for fundraising.
About the author of this post
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Sara Gavidia
Content Creator
Communications Manager & Content creator
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Hello! I’m Sara 👋🏻
I’m FundingTrip’s Content creator. I write posts about technology, funding and innovation. If you liked this one, subscribe to our newsletter to receive more updates!
Post reviewed by David Arias, funding expert.
