Stendr raises $5.4M in oversubscribed pre-seed round to build the Nordics'next defence prime

Oslo, NORWAY – April 15, 2026 – Stendr, a Norwegian defence technology company building an AI-native platform for the rapid development and deployment of defence software and hardware, today announced it has raised $5.4 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round, marking one of the largest in Nordic defence tech history. The round is co-led by Rainfall, ACME, and Skyfall, with participation from Sisyphus, Antler, StartupLab, Off Piste, and Andöya Ventures, alongside a strong angel syndicate of global technology founders and investors.

Stendr builds the foundational technology stack for a new Nordic defence Prime. Full-stack hardware and software, vertically integrated, with AI at the core. Built to protect the freedom of democratic nations, Stendr is developing AI-driven multi-sensor technology embedded in cost-efficient hardware platforms, with an initial focus on drone defence.

"The nature of warfare has changed. Drones are cheap, autonomous, and everywhere. Defence systems built for a previous era cannot keep pace. At Stendr, we are building the technology to find them, track them, and give defenders the information to act, fully sovereign to Europe,"

said Aleksander Leonard Larsen, co-founder and CEO of Stendr.

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Prior to Stendr, Aleksander co-founded Sky Mavis, scaling Axie Infinity to a $3B valuation and building real-time infrastructure serving millions of users globally. Operating at that scale, under that pressure, builds a specific kind of founder: one who makes the right  decisions fast, manages complexity across the full stack, and leads teams through conditions most companies never face. That experience translates directly into what modern defence demands.

Joining Larsen is Robin Alexander Holm Pedersen as CTO, bringing over 15 years of full-stack engineering experience spanning AI systems, digital identity infrastructure, and hardware development, including work with Brønnøysundregistrene and Norges Bank. Markus Leonhard Hansen, Head of Hardware, previously co-founded and led Gungnir of Norway, where he took a hardware product from concept to global customer recognition over seven years.

“We’re thrilled to back Aleksander again,” said Ron Rofe, GP at Rainfall Ventures. “He’s a resilient leader, with a winning mindset, and a unique ability to attract top talent. His gaming industry background also gives him the ability to solve problems in a unique way. We expect more of the same at Stendr: speed and innovation in a massive European defence market.”

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