Ex-Apple Engineer Raises $14M for Defense Startup Using Apple-Tesla Strategies

An ex-Apple engineer has raised $14 million in Series A funding for his defense startup, Delian Alliance Industries, aiming to produce affordable and autonomous defense systems. Founded by Dimitrios Kottas, the company leverages strategies from Apple and Tesla, particularly vertical integration, to develop and scale its solutions rapidly. Kottas, who worked for five years in Apple’s secretive robotics lab, applied insights from Silicon Valley to build a business focused on “moonshot” projects that could bring about revolutionary change. Delian’s systems include high-speed boats equipped with explosives, designed to deter attacks both by air and by sea[1].

Kottas left Apple in 2021 and shortly after began working on Delian, which is described as a defense company “designed to protect Europe and its allies.” The startup operates in Athens and London and claims its systems are “low cost, deployed in mass, and sovereign.” Delian’s strategy involves producing its own hardware, including surveillance towers and drones, alongside proprietary software, rather than partnering with other defense firms[1].

The company’s blog post highlights the urgency of the current global security landscape, with Kottas noting that adversaries are rapidly industrializing and deploying emerging technologies. “We’re in a race against time,” he wrote, emphasizing the need to measure deployments in days rather than decades. Delian has already tested its systems in mission-critical environments and plans to scale production internationally[1].

The EU is undergoing a significant defense investment shift, driven by growing concerns over U.S. disengagement from European security. At the June NATO summit, member countries agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Meanwhile, 18 EU countries have applied for funding under the new Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, a $173 billion initiative offering low-cost loans for military procurement. These developments are creating opportunities for defense firms and startups like Delian[1].

Kottas has focused his efforts on the maritime domain, stating that airborne drones are a “very saturated market.” This niche positioning aligns with his technical background in computer science and machine learning, which he studied at the University of Minnesota. Delian’s approach reflects a broader trend of applying Silicon Valley innovation to defense, blending ambition with practicality[1].

Delian Alliance Industries did not respond to a request for comment from Fortune. However, the company remains at the forefront of a growing movement in Europe to develop homegrown defense technologies and reduce reliance on external suppliers[1].

Source: [1] An ex-Apple engineer just raised $14 million for his own defense startup, which borrows a key strategy from Apple and Tesla (https://fortune.com/2025/07/30/dimitrios-kottas-delian-alliance-industries-series-a-investors-apple-tesla-defense-tech-vertical-integration/)