It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

BARYON Defence Fund: “The hunt for Europe’s best founders”

11 August 2026

Summary:

Martin Valovsky is exactly the sort of investor I love to talk to. Former Defence Founder turned investor. Very focused on backing the most ambitious founder with real edge.

Europe needs 5X more Funds like Baryon

We need investors who seek out those Founders who display technological leadership, backing them to European scale and with an eye to becoming the Global Category Leader.

TAKEAWAYS:

  • The analogy of founders as quarks in a baryon
  • The importance of founder hunger and ambition
  • Focus on hardware and high-tech defence solutions
  • Geographical focus on Europe, especially Ukraine and the Nordics
  • The fund’s investment stage, size, and criteria
  • The role of relationships and due diligence in defence tech
  • The impact of success and failure on team cohesion
  • The unique team dynamic of three founders with diverse networks
  • The importance of battle-tested defence companies
  • The offer to help other VC funds with defence investments in Ukraine on the ground