Episode Details

Cheap drones are changing modern warfare, creating demand for new air defence systems that can operate at scale. Alta Ares just raised $50 million to help countries defend against emerging aerial threats.

Hadrien Canter is CEO and Co-founder of Alta Ares. Drawing on his experience working in Ukraine and the Middle East, he believes Europe has a unique opportunity to build a stronger defence ecosystem and reduce its reliance on external security guarantees.

The Scaling Europe show is presented by Deel. Check them out here:

https://get.deel.com/ruynb7o4lfjk

Sponsors:

Mishcon: https://www.mishcon.com/pop-ups/scaling-europe

Chargebee: https://www.chargebee.com/events/beelieve/london/2026

SurrealDB: https://surrealdb.com/

Airwallex: https://www.airwallex.com/uk?utm_source=other&utm_medium=partner_referral&utm_campaign=v01_emea_multi_ib_dg_prtmk_mofu_scalingeurope

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

0:09 - Alta Ares’ $50 funding round

1:24 - Why cheap drones are changing warfare

3:08 - Combining hardware, software and AI

5:26 - Building a defence company from Ukraine

7:51 - NATO, Europe and defence sovereignty

11:37 - Operating on the ground in Ukraine

13:20 - Mission, pressure and attracting talent

15:44 - Resilience, failure and company culture

17:45 - Raising $50m for Alta Ares

20:05 - The investors behind the round and the future of European defence