IoT Tribe accelerates the growth and adoption of disruptive technologies globally. We are proud to announce our appointment by The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) to deliver business acceleration services supporting the NATO DIANA initiative, boosting the UK’s defence and innovation capabilities.

Introducing Janus Allies, a consortium building a global ecosystem for dual-use innovation. Led by IoT Tribe, it is delivered in partnership with Atmos Ventures, a deep tech investor and the SETsquared Partnership, a collaboration between the six leading research-led UK universities, DASA and NATO DIANA.

Europe’s innovation clock is striking a decisive hour. Defence budgets are climbing and strategic autonomy has moved from manifesto to mandate. Breakthroughs in AI, quantum engineering and advanced materials are leaving the laboratory faster than ever before.  

“We are excited not just about the pledge to raise defence spending by £2.2 billion but the overall acknowledgement that we need to invest in defence capabilities to keep our nation and allies safe. This is a call to action for the UK’s world leading tech sector and the leading tech startups across NATO allies.” Tanya Suárez, CEO of IoT Tribe.  

From synthetic vision and advanced photonics to quantum level sensing, this newsletter edition showcases breakthrough frontier technologies, spotlighting how IoT Tribe’s innovators, programmes and partnerships are shaping the deep tech landscape.  

In this newsletter: 

• Exclusive insights: We speak to Janus mentor Jane Buglear about building the Internet to shaping tomorrow’s technologies.  

• Dual-use innovation: What if your sensor could be smaller than a strand of hair and smarter than ever before? Introducing the DIANA UK cohort.

• Good news for innovators: The Spring Budget ring fences 10% of the Ministry of Defence’s budget, adding £2.2bn for AI, drones and space. 

• Accelerating quantum: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged European allies and Canada to make a ‘quantum leap’ in defence contributions for 2025, following a 19.4% rise in 2024. 

Jane Buglear is Janus’ Mentor in Residence, identifying start up needs and connecting them to capability. Her extensive expertise from engineering global networks to founding accelerators, equips dual-use startups with the technical, institutional and revenue first mindset they need to turn breakthrough innovation into deployable solutions. 

Europe’s next wave of deep tech innovation will not wait for permission, it needs mentors who have already forged the path. In our latest feature, we spotlight Jane’s path from building the plumbing of the Internet at Cisco, to founding eight innovation accelerators at University College London and guiding scale ups through venture waters. 

She brings an unmatched blend of technical savvy and commercial insight. Under her guidance, Janus becomes more than an accelerator, it is a launchpad. Founders gain unfiltered engineering depth, insider knowledge of procurement cycles and a revenue first mindset that turns prototypes into purchase orders.  

Discover how the Janus mentor network is anchoring Europe’s dual-use breakthroughs.

What if your AI model could detect threats faster and more accurately than ever before?

Ai-Verse are super charging computer vision to be utilised in defence.

Their next generation Gaia engine generates a vast volume of labelled synthetic image datasets for all military or security scenarios, training AI models to address the urgent need to ensure the safety of our forces, outmatch adversaries and safeguard critical infrastructure. Offering highly accurate detection of armoured people, vehicles and drones at a fraction of the speed and cost of current techniques.

What if your sensors could capture every ray of light?

ElFys technology enables light sensors with better sensitivity than anything before.  

They have rolled out a four-quadrant photodetector that hits 0.64 A/W at 1064 nm. This means approximately 30% more responsivity than todays best in class near infrared detection (NIR) sensors. This enables infra-red sensing to be more accurate, creating superior performance in light sensing applications from wearable health monitoring to increasing missile accuracy. 

What if your sensor could be smaller than a strand of hair and smarter than ever before?

RVmagnetics just levelled up with a new 778m² HQ and a leadership seat on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Based in Slovakia, RVmagnetics is redefining sensing technology with a new generation of microwire sensors as thin as 2 μm (micrometers), that measure temperature, pressure, stress, torsion, position, magnetic fields and more. All magnetically and without physical contact. They are moving into a purpose built R&D headquarters at Business Centre Košice and their founder, Professor Rastislav Varga, has been elected to the IEEE Magnetics Society’s Technical Committee. 

IoT Tribe is delivering Siemens' Flywheel, a tailored validation programme designed to empower early stage startups developing agentic AI and advanced technologies for the Aerospace and Defence sector.

Startups will benefit from leveraging Siemens' industry expertise to rapidly prototype, validate and deploy technologies. Leading to rapid market validation, reduced operational risk and enhanced investor appeal through access to Siemens’ cutting-edge tools, industry data, and global network. 

“As the Aerospace and Defence sector continues to mature its digital transformation, the role of AI in solving high-stakes challenges is expanding rapidly. If the impact AI will have on the A&D industry could be measured by a 12 hour clock, right now we are at 5 seconds.” said Todd Tuthill, Vice President of Aerospace & Defence Industry at Siemens Digital Industries Software. “The Flywheel Programme is designed to help startups break through barriers to market entry and deliver scalable solutions that address these urgent needs and move the industry well beyond the first 5 seconds.”

1. Spring Budget: 10% of the Ministry of Defence’s budget ring fenced, with additional £2.2bn for AI, drones and space. 

2. Reuters: NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte highlights a 19.4% real terms defence spend increase in 2024 and urges European allies and Canada to make a ‘quantum leap’ in 2025 to meet evolving security needs. 

3. City AM: Highlights a £3.4trn defence market by 2030 and quotes IoT Tribe on faster go-to-market strategies. 

4. Tech Funding News: Unpacks the new £400m UK Fund and IoT Tribe states the need for agile three-month procurements. 

5. Maddyness UK: Traces IoT Tribe’s journey from IoT roots into AI, quantum and space, spotlighting the newly launched Janus accelerator as the next deep tech bridge. 

6. GCV: Names Janus alongside industry heavyweights, underlining how corporates now rely on venture builders to tap cutting edge dual-use innovation. 

7. HMGCC: The Co-Creation team has launched a 12 week funded challenge to develop ultra small, low power PNT tracking solutions for GPS denied environments.  

8. Dublin Tech Summit 2025: IoT Tribe takes the Code Red tech-sovereignty stage. We will be joining the DTS25 headline panel (28-29 May in Dublin), diving into tech sovereignty vs. Collaboration. 

9. Digital Tech Cluster’s 2025: Stay in the loop with events, free workshops and peer networking sessions at the Digital Tech Cluster Activity page.  

Our community is a thriving ecosystem to connect with leaders across deep tech, engage with defence stakeholders and accelerate dual-use innovations.