It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

EDT: The Capital Europe Needs to Keep Its Technology

29 September 2026

Summary:

Europe has the technology.

The bigger question is whether Europe has the capital to keep it. In this episode of the Protect Europe Podcast, Colin Brown sits down with Martin Davis, co-founder of EDT Ventures, to explore the intersection of venture capital, emerging technology, national security and European strategic autonomy.

Martin’s journey has taken him from 11 years in the military, through software and financial services, into venture capital and ultimately into defence and national security investing. Today, EDT Ventures is building around a very specific gap in the European market: later-stage capital for technology businesses with both commercial and national security applications.

  • Why Europe has a Series A/B and later-stage capital gap
  • Why strategically important European companies can end up being acquired or funded from outside Europe
  • The role of €20–30m anchor investments in keeping companies headquartered and controlled in Europe
  • Why EDT focuses on dual-use rather than single-use defence technology – Emerging disruptive technologies across space, cyber, quantum, communications and more
  • Why defence can act as an urgent first customer for technologies with much larger commercial markets
  • The importance of “Act One, Act Two, Act Three” for technology companies
  • How Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of building capability, not simply products
  • Why national security and technological sovereignty are becoming increasingly intertwined
  • Martin’s broader investment work across Europe and frontier markets in Africa
  • This is a conversation about more than defence investing. It is about capital, technology, sovereignty and Europe’s ability to build and retain the capabilities it will need for the next decade.

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

SeAtom: Building Nuclear-Capable Shipping

23 September 2026

Summary:

Finland is undisputedly world-class in certain industries, and two of these have just been combined in a way I find fascinating:

1) Building huge commercial ships 
2) Deploying nuclear power

So what does the future look like if Finland can build nuclear-powered shipping?

Join me and AP from SeAtom to find out. The future is bright: nuclear-capable shipping.

and if you want to dive deeper on global shipping then checkout our Category Leaders episode on Maersk

We talk about:

  • Combining two world-class capabilities against one megatrend
  • Europe’s strategic position in global shipping
  • The landscape of nuclear technology developers and regulators
  • Cost advantages of scale and manufacturing in nuclear tech
  • Finland’s unique position in nuclear maritime innovation
  • Steel man the case for nuclear-capable shipping from South Korea 
  • Milestones for project development and testing

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

Saibre Capital: Be Bold or Be Overridden

22 September 2026

Summary:

Andrew Turner CBE is on career two.

To be fair, his first career was pretty impressive. Flying jets at 18, rising through the ranks of the RAF, and undertaking combat missions across a huge number of campaigns and towards the end, a lot of government work. But that is history. Impressive history, but over.

Career two with Saibre Capital could be even more interesting. Join Andrew, Ruy Pinto and myself as we dive into Quantum and why we need to be bold or be overridden! 

  • Introduction to Andrew Turner’s background and career
  • Transition to emerging technologies and private investments
  • The geopolitical landscape and the grey zone of modern warfare
  • The significance of quantum technology and future capabilities
  • Building national and European tech champions
  • European collaboration and the path to global leadership
  • The call for boldness!

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

MPK: Building the Technologies that Defend Democracy!

17 September 2026

Summary:

Mattipekka Kronqvist could never be described as boring!

His superpower is to reach deep into University research labs and distil just the right technology to meet a capability he sees in the real world.

This episode is unique not because of the companies we talk about but because the range of related problems that MPK is solving. 

Dive in. You will not be bored! 

  • Crown Defence: Innovations in Battlefield Technology
  • Challenges of Arctic Testing for Military Equipment
  • Vailion: Hiding from AI Detection
  • Accelerating University Research into Market Solutions
  • Polar Apex: Addressing Thermal Control in Defence
    Arctic Ravn’s Unique Drone Solutions
  • FOB Shooting Range: A New Approach to Training
  • Finnish Defence House: Supporting Defence Startups
  • The Drive Behind Innovation and Entrepreneurship

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

Cactos: The Spikey Battery

9 March 2026

Summary:

In this Protect Europe Podcast, Colin Brown interviews Oskari Jaakkola, the co-founder of Cactos, a modern energy company focused on providing affordable electricity and energy storage solutions to industrial users. Oskari discusses the company’s vertically integrated approach, the challenges of the electricity market, and the importance of their infrastructure fund in providing financing to clients. He shares insights into the company’s growth, pivotal decisions made in its early days, and the team’s background. The conversation also touches on the future of energy consumption and the role of technology in managing electricity costs.

TAKEAWAYS:

  • Cactos offers affordable electricity and hedges against market risks.
  • The company is vertically integrated, providing a one-stop shop for clients.
  • Electricity consumption is growing rapidly, outpacing other energy sources.
  • Cactos has developed its own battery management system for efficiency.
  • The infrastructure fund is crucial for providing financing to clients.
  • The company has experienced significant growth in revenue and market presence.
  • Cactos focuses on commercial and industrial clients for energy storage solutions.
  • Pivotal decisions have shaped the company’s strategic direction.
  • Interview mentioned in the Podcast between Oskari (Cactos) and Forest (Somos) from Union Square Ventures

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

Europipe: Infrastructure Done Right

27 February 2026

Summary:

In this episode of PEP Colin Brown goes deep in conversation with Carsten Schmickler, Managing Director of Europipe 

This conversation delves into the intricacies of pipe production, emphasizing the rigorous quality control measures in place to ensure safety and reliability, particularly in critical infrastructure like the North Stream gas supply. The discussion highlights the importance of minimizing production steps while maximizing inspection checks to prevent catastrophic failures.

TAKEAWAYS:

  • The pipes that Europipe are producing are among the best controlled goods in the world.
  • The production process has many inspection checks for quality assurance.
  • A problem with a pipe could lead to significant financial losses for a company.
  • Ensuring no gas flow interruptions is critical for operational success.
  • The transformation of steel is a key aspect of the production process.
  • Quality control is essential in the manufacturing of pipes for infrastructure.
  • Inspection checks are vital for maintaining safety and reliability in production.
  • Minimizing production steps can lead to greater efficiency.
  • The financial implications of production failures are enormous in this industry.
  • Security measures are prioritized throughout the production process.

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

Electrify Everything

17 February 2026

Summary:

🔋 Battery Chemistry
🕵 AI agents networking
⛴️ Boats across Norwegian Fjords
💰 Building a factory to produce essentially “a white powder”!

We have everything and more in this week’s Protect Europe Podcast (PEP) with Anders Teigland the CEO of TioTech a Norwegian based company who are on a mission to electrify everything by manufacturing titania (titanium dioxide) nanomaterials.

TAKEAWAYS:

  • Tiotech aims to revolutionize battery technology for maritime and defense applications.
  • The company focuses on creating batteries that are durable and safe, capable of withstanding extreme conditions.
  • Electrification in maritime transport is progressing slowly due to various market dynamics.
  • Tiotech’s unique approach involves using titanium as an anode material for better performance.
  • The company is not building its own battery factory but partnering with established manufacturers.
  • Funding is crucial for scaling operations and validating battery technology.
  • The vision includes building factories to produce battery materials at scale.
  • The importance of safety systems in battery design is emphasized, especially for industrial applications.
  • Good enough technology is often sufficient for market needs, rather than striving for perfection.

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

It’s not a storm — it’s the climate

Protect The Grid

3 February 2026

Summary:

In this week’s Protect Europe Podcast (PEP), Colin Brown interviews Paula Laine CEO of Safegrid.
They discuss the company’s mission to enhance the operation and maintenance of energy infrastructure through advanced fault detection and predictive maintenance technologies. 

TAKEAWAYS:

  • Safegrid helps electric grid operators maintain assets based on actionable insights from real-time data.

  • The company started with fault locating and evolved to fault prediction.

  • Predictive maintenance allows for proactive actions to prevent outages.

  • Safegrid aims for steady year on year growth of 50-100% by serving a diverse range of customers, from small to large utilities.

  • Integration with legacy systems is primarily through REST APIs.

  • Cybersecurity is a critical concern for energy infrastructure.

  • The demand for energy is increasing, stressing existing infrastructure.