Future Thinking: Unlocking Funding for Defence & Security

Future Thinking: Unlocking Funding for Defence and Security + Insights from Xfund’s Patrick Chung

Unlocking Funding:

Defence & Security

The defence sector is fast becoming an important aspect of the government’s economic growth strategy, and the commitment to increasing defence spending is a step in the right direction.


However, the true marker of success will be our ability to unlock larger amounts of capital for growth stage investment through public and private sector collaboration.

Over the coming quarter, our focus will be on Defence and Security. A number of the UK’s most promising scaleups exist in the defence and security ecosystem. We’re proud that some of these sit within the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, managed by Future Planet Capital:

🌊 As the Blue Economy continues to grow, HonuWorx is driving the future of subsea installation, inspection and maintenance processes through marine robotics, making it easier to sustainably commercialise and defend our ocean’s resources, and accelerate the journey towards net-zero.

🛰️ In its mission to become the global leader in deployable antennas for use in space, Oxford Space Systems offers a portfolio of antennas for a range of satellite services, aimed at improving performance, maximising stowage efficiency, and minimising mass.

🔐 Catering to a wide range of sectors and application areas, HALO X-ray Technologies Ltd is developing next generation X-ray platform capabilities that will enhance passenger security and experience in aviation, revolutionise infrastructure protection, facilitate new medical systems, and more.

Representing just a handful of exciting defence and security startups, these businesses demonstrate the potential that sits in the UK’s innovation ecosystem.


At Future Planet Capital, we look forward to engaging the government and private sector, to crowd together the funding needed to nurture and grow these businesses to not only make the UK a safer place, but also contribute to a more prosperous economic reality.


Do not hesitate to get in touch if further information about our work or portfolio would be of interest.

SecureX Insights: Q5D

Listen in as Steve Bennington, CEO & Co-Founder of Q5D, discusses the funding and support they have received.

It is vital that businesses receive more support than just financial, and we're thrilled to be able to support Q5D in creating connections and developing networks in the defence sector.

Amazing to see their continued success 👇

Spotting Potential and Commercialising Academic Discovery

Two questions facing venture capital firms in today’s investment landscape are: how do you spot potential in a sea of AI startups? And how do you build a university and enterprise system that really can create the next Google?

Patrick S. Chung, co-founder and managing general partner of Xfund and the investor who wrote OpenAI founder Sam Altman’s first cheque, is well qualified to answer both. And on his recent visit to the UK, where Xfund is a partner to Future Planet Capital, Patrick did just that.

Patrick identifies three core qualities that drive entrepreneurial success on campus:

🔵 Fostering a culture that celebrates transforming academic discovery into commercial success
🔵 Ensuring university departments and academic administrators are informed on venturing and business
🔵 Allowing professors and investigators the flexibility to jump back and forth between business and academia

Read more about Patrick’s thoughts on commercialising academic discovery on our website here.

Find out more about Future Planet Capital by visiting our website.