- The NATO Innovation Fund has established a Warsaw branch
- Jan Duthel joined the Fund as CEE adoption lead
- NIF partnered with the Polish Dual-Use Chamber to expand connections with Polish founders, government and industry
The NATO Innovation Fund, or NIF, has established a branch in Warsaw, Poland, to expand its engagement with defense, security and deep tech companies across Central and Eastern Europe.
As part of the expansion, the NIF said Tuesday that Jan Duthel has been appointed as Central and Eastern Europe adoption lead.
Duthel brings experience in policy and go-to-market consulting in the defense industry and will help lead the Fund’s engagement with startups in Poland and across the wider region.
What Will the Warsaw Team Do?
NIF, a billion-euro venture capital firm backed by 24 NATO member nations, said the Warsaw operation will concentrate on three priorities: identifying promising deep tech companies across Poland and the wider Central and Eastern European region, helping portfolio companies navigate the transition from pilot projects to procurement contracts and strengthening relationships with allied governments and industry partners.
The Fund is partnering with the Polish Dual-Use Chamber, and its new team will connect the NIF with regional founders, investors, government officials, industry partners and defense stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of dual-use technologies.
Ari Jonsson, president of the NATO Innovation Fund, said: “Poland and the broader CEE region are producing serious founders building serious technologies.”
“Our job is to get those technologies into the hands of the governments and militaries that need them,” Jonsson added.
Why Is Poland a Strategic Market for the NATO Innovation Fund?
The Fund said Poland’s defense investment, military modernization priorities and growing technology ecosystem make it a focal point for the NIF’s regional expansion.
“The NATO Innovation Fund’s decision to establish a permanent presence in Warsaw reflects Poland’s growing importance in shaping the Alliance’s innovation ecosystem,” Cezary Tomczyk, the secretary of state of Poland’s Ministry of National Defence, said.
Poland’s Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domański said the Warsaw branch reflects international investor confidence in the country’s economic performance and innovation ecosystem.
NIF has existing engagement with Poland’s venture capital and startup ecosystem, including investments in Expeditions and OTB Ventures.
OTB Ventures’ $185 million Fund 2 is an oversubscribed fund to support early-stage deep tech startups.
NIF has similarly continued backing Expeditions Fund II, which reached a final close of $220 million in July.
How Does the Warsaw Expansion Build on Existing Investments?
The NIF’s new Warsaw branch builds on its existing investments in Europe’s deep tech ecosystem.
In a 2025 report, Heligan Group said European startups received about $5.2 billion in venture capital funding in 2024, reflecting a substantial increase in investment over the preceding six years. The report also highlighted the NATO Innovation Fund as a key growth driver for deep-tech startups supporting Europe’s defense innovation ecosystem.
NIF also led a $15 million Series A funding round in May for RevEng.AI, a cybersecurity company developing technology to verify software integrity and detect malicious functionality, hidden vulnerabilities and unauthorized changes in compiled software.
