- The defence tech startup raised €4 million in pre-seed funding, with €2.4 million in venture capital led by Change Ventures and €1.6 million in EU and Latvian Ministry of Defence grants.
- BEAK, Origin’s flagship product, is a man-portable drone-launched precision-guided weapon system, up to 20 times more affordable than alternatives
- Origin has commercial agreements with two NATO countries, and is already battlefield-tested
- Founded in 2022 by Agris Kipurs and Ilya Nevdah, Origin leverages a decade of experience from their previous successful exit with action sports drone Airdog and aims to provide democracies with affordable, effective defence technology
Origin, a defence technology company specialising in advanced autonomous systems, has closed €4 million in financing. The funding comprises €2.4 million in venture capital, led by Change Ventures with participation from Silicon Roundabout Ventures, and €1.6 million in EU grants and support from the Latvian Ministry of Defence. This funding will accelerate product development and enable Origin to expand its team with key engineering and sales hires. The company already has commercial agreements with two NATO countries, and its flagship product, the BEAK, is battlefield-tested.
The conflict in Ukraine has exposed the rapidly changing nature of warfare and forced all nations to re-examine their defence capabilities. Even large democracies who have the means to afford heavy equipment such as tanks or fighter jets are re-evaluating the cost-effectiveness of current precision-strike systems, often priced in hundreds of thousands or even millions per use. The limitations of loitering and first person view (FPV) drones as alternatives have been made clear, due to their vulnerability to electronic warfare and short range air defence. This environment has created an urgent need for new solutions in the defence sector.
Origin addresses this challenge by developing precision-guided weapon systems that are both cost-effective and highly efficient. Its flagship product, the BEAK, is a man-portable ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) drone with precision guidance technology, delivering precision strike capability at a cost significantly lower than existing alternatives. It achieves this by retaining its most valuable components on a reusable carrier vehicle, unlike traditional systems where these components are embedded in the projectile and destroyed with each strike.
Agris Kipurs, co-founder and CEO of Origin, said: “We find ourselves in a new era where security can no longer be taken for granted and warfare is evolving rapidly. We saw an opportunity to leverage our decade of experience building autonomous drones for the demanding needs of action sports enthusiasts to create an alternative to today’s expensive precision-guided munitions.”
The BEAK employs advanced computer-vision algorithms and AI for precision guidance technology and autonomous flight, allowing it to navigate complex environments and respond to threats even under intense radio jamming. In addition to these capabilities, the BEAK is man-portable, quick to deploy, and designed for ease of use, making it highly desirable for defence forces operating in rapidly changing environments.
Andris K. Berzins, Partner at Change Ventures, said: “Having known Agris and Ilya for a decade through their successful launch of the world’s leading action sports drone Airdog, I knew this team is unlike the many that have started learning how to build a drone startup only since the Ukraine invasion two years ago. Their ability to combine this expertise with an ambitious vision to reshape the precision weapons market, and their remarkable traction within the past 18 months, made investing in Origin an easy choice.”
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