Sapient Perception secures EUR 2M to advance physical AI sensors for mission-critical UAV operations

As exclusive financial advisor to Sapient Perception, a Danish startup building physical AI sensor systems for UAVs, KPH 31 is proud to have advised on the successful completion of a EUR 2M pre-seed round co-led by Balnord and FORWARD.one.

The company will utilize the capital to accelerate development of the company’s software-defined cameras and AI framework that enable mission-critical decision-making and autonomy through large area perception. The round will also assist in growing its engineering team, and supporting initial deployments with customers across the defense, security, and emergency response industries.

Founded by Anthony Garetto (CEO), Lau Norgaard (CTO), and Michael Messerschmidt (CBO), Sapient Perception is focused on solving a fundamental visibility challenge in modern UAV operations. Drones capture more images and data than ever, but bandwidth limitations force a tradeoff between imaging coverage and resolution. Operators are constantly switching views to compensate.

Poul Kotiah Hansen, Founder and Managing Director at KPH 31, says:

“This is a well-defined problem in a fast-scaling market and Sapient brings a fundamentally better solution to address it.”

Sapient addresses this problem with first-of-its-kind 10K sensors that cover up to 100 times larger areas than conventional sensors at the same detailed resolution in a single frame. Meanwhile, its novel edge processing pipeline enables actionable insights from enhanced imaging to be delivered onboard in real-time with whatever AI models are preferred by operators. By overcoming constraints related to bandwidth, latency, and human cognitive overload, Sapient Perception unlocks autonomous operational capabilities that were previously inaccessible in time-critical environments.

Anthony Garetto, CEO and co-founder of Sapient Perception, says:

“In mission-critical situations, the ability to make fast, informed decisions determines outcomes.“

Anthony Garetto continues:

“Our perception layer enables persistent situational awareness through a far wider lens, while delivering the important details to operators in real time. Having this whole picture means decisive action can be taken faster and with a higher level of confidence.”

The company is already working with Dropla Tech to integrate Sapient’s large area perception sensors into UAVs designed to fly low and ahead of military convoys. Sapient’s imaging will feed into Dropla Tech’s Blue Eyes platform, which is being used today by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence to process real-time drone video to detect ambush drones and landmines along supply routes near Ukraine’s front lines. Sapient is also working with partners deploying its sensors on high-altitude platforms, including stratospheric systems for wide-area ISR, highlighting the flexibility of its perception layer to customers, system integrators, and industrial partners across Europe and North America.

The investment from Balnord and FORWARD.one reflects growing demand for edge-based intelligence as operational complexity and the criticality of advanced sensors increase across defense and security domains.

Jarek Pilarczyk, Partner at Balnord, says:

“Modern defense and security operations are not taking advantage of the most advanced sensors and the vast data they generate.“

Jarek Pilarczyk continues:

“Sapient Perception addresses this challenge with a highly differentiated edge AI approach that we believe will become foundational to next-generation systems.“

Cailin Greiner, Investment Manager at FORWARD.one, adds:

“In the environments Sapient Perception serves, every second matters. Their technology turns high-quality sensor data into real-time insights at the edge, enabling 100× greater coverage than today’s systems. It’s a clear step change - built by a team that knows how to move fast and deliver.“

Cailin Greiner continues:

“Poul and I have been sharing insights for some years already, so it was great to work together with him on Sapient. The team’s technical strength and commercial focus stood out and reflect our increasing attention to deeptech emerging from the Nordics."

Jarek Pilarczyk adds:

“Having local support is always valuable. It helps create a much better understanding of both the opportunity and the team, and makes it easier to build conviction around the company."

Anthony Garetto continues:

“Working with Poul was a great experience and tremendously helped while trying to juggle both fundraising and building a company. His network, guidance and support were instrumental in helping to navigate the process and secure a positive outcome."

About Sapient Perception

Sapient Perception builds physical AI sensor systems for UAVs that enable large-area perception for mission-critical decision-making and autonomous operations. The Danish startup’s 10K sensors cover up to 100 times larger areas than conventional sensors and its novel edge processing pipeline enables actionable insights to be delivered onboard in real-time. Sapient’s sensor stack is NDAA compliant and ITAR-free, on a fully trusted and allied supply chain. The company was founded by a team bringing 45+ years of combined experience in sensor architecture, imaging technology and defense markets.

See everything. Miss nothing. Protect what matters.

About Balnord

Balnord is a high-conviction early-stage investor in frontier and dual-use technologies. Focused primarily on founders from the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe (Nordics, Baltics, Poland and Germany).

Balnord backs companies solving the hardest problems in critical industries - laying the foundation for Europe’s re-industrialization in the real economy across sectors such as space, healthcare, industrial resilience, and more. With the team’s former entrepreneurial and operational backgrounds, Balnord helps founders scale from the first round through exit and beyond.

About FORWARD.one

Founded in 2017, FORWARD.one is a venture capital firm dedicated to industrial technology. With a team combining entrepreneurial, engineering, and financial expertise, the firm has become one of Europe’s most commercially-oriented and top-performing technology investors.

Driven by a tough-love ethos and bold, non-conformist bets, FORWARD.one has demonstrated that exceptional commercialization builds winners that generate outstanding returns. With Funds I and II ranking among the top 5% of European VC funds, the firm is a coveted partner for founders building Europe’s next industrial champions.

FORWARD.one. Serious about performance.

About KPH 31

KPH 31 is a boutique corporate finance advisory firm specializing in technology companies. With EUR +500 million in completed transaction value we bring a strong network of strategic and financial buyers, as well as venture and growth investors. Drawing on +10 years of experience in the tech sector, we drive value-creating transactions through expert advisory combining strategic, operational and financial capabilities with skilled deal negotiation.

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