From Vision to Action: Viktorija Trimbel was elected to represent Lithuania on the Board of Europe’s First Pan-European Business Angels Network, Dedicated to Defence Technologies

DAEN - Defence Business Angel Network, Brussels

Brussels, 26 February 2026 – Announced in October 2025 at Bpifrance’s European Defence Week, the Defence Angels European Network (DAEN) officially launched its operations during a high-level kick-off meeting gathering strategic partners and leaders from Business Angels communities across 16 countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine).

DAEN is the first pan-European Business Angels network, dedicated to strengthening investment in early-stage defence and security technologies. It aims to promote a bottom-up, citizen-led approach to financing European defence and contribute to shaping its technological future and sovereignty.

In a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, DAEN will facilitate cross-border investments, accelerating access to capital for early-stage European defence startups while fostering closer cooperation between investors, industry and public institutions.

The network is also designed to accompany existing Business Angel networks wishing to invest in this field, notably through co-investment opportunities and shared expertise, as well as to complement European defence innovation frameworks. Beyond investment, founders will benefit from the network’s support in navigating regulatory, export-control, and procurement environments specific to the sector.

DAEN’s newly elected Board of Directors reflects the diversity of Europe, both in its geographical scope and the profiles of its members, combining strategic leadership and operational capability. It is composed of leading figures of the European Business Angels community:

·         Guy GOUREVITCH, from France, President of DAEN

·         Tiina LAISI-PUHELOINEN, from Finland

·         Lisa BENNEWITZ, from Germany

·         Francesca NATALI, from Italy

·         Viktorija TRIMBEL, from Lithuania

·         Jacek BLONSKI, from Poland

·         Sergio RODRIGUES, from Portugal

·         Vasile TIPLE, from Romania

·         Olha AFANASYEVA, from Ukraine

Responsible for overseeing DAEN’s strategy and operations, the nine Directors will be able to count on the support and expertise of the Association’s Advisory Board, on which are sitting its four main stakeholders - the two European Business Angels federations (BAE and EBAN), Défense Angels and Bpifrance - represented by:

·         Reginald VOSSEN, from Belgium, President of BAE

·         Petr SIMA, from Czechia, Co-Chair of EBAN’s Space & Defence Committee

·         Michel BEHAR, from France, Vice-President of Défense Angels

·         Gilles LE COCGUEN, from France, Director of EuroQuity at Bpifrance

With its governance fully established, DAEN enters its operational phase. The network will now focus on consolidating its European footprint, strengthening partnerships with BA networks across Europe as well as institutional and industrial stakeholders, and preparing its first coordinated, cross-border investments with the goal of investing in more than 100 startups by 2030, through a community of more than 1000 Business Angels.

“The establishment of DAEN represents a decisive step toward a more integrated and agile European investment landscape in defence technologies. By fostering cross-border cooperation among investors, DAEN seeks to become the reference for Business Angels willing to invest in Europe’s sovereign, strategic capabilities.” – Guy GOUREVITCH, President of DAEN.

“Europe cannot afford fragmented approaches to defense innovation. Supporting the next generation of strategic technologies requires experienced investors who can think and act at a continental scale. We at EBAN were proud to collaborate with partners including Bpifrance, Défense Angels and Business Angels Europe to help bring DAEN to life. As a founding member of LitBAN, I know the power of strong angel networks. Connecting investors with deep defense and financial expertise across Europe will ensure that the most promising technologies receive the early support needed to scale.” - Rita SAKUS, EBAN Board Member and Co-Chair Space & Defense Committee.

"Our security today is inseparable from our ability to develop and finance advanced technologies in the common European space. Such initiatives show that private capital can act strategically and responsibly – bringing investors together, speeding up decision-making, and strengthening our technological independence. Lithuania is purposefully strengthening its innovation and defense sectors, so we greatly appreciate this strong, cross-border business angel partnership, which will contribute to greater resilience across Europe," says Edvinas GRIKŠAS, Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania.

“It is an honour, a pleasure, and a responsibility to become a founding member of DAEN and to be elected to the first board as the representative of Lithuania. I consider my professional mission to facilitate innovation ecosystems and to strengthen the security of Europe and Lithuania - this is the driving force behind my daily work. Membership in this network will help attract more experienced international private investors to the complex defence industry startups and innovations. DAEN will bring together efforts, knowledge, contacts, and expertise of experienced defence business angels. Business angels can outrun large, inert institutions and catalyse the pace of change. We have a historic opportunity to fundamentally change the approach to European security, and I am pleased to join the effort and share Lithuania's best practices and initiatives in the field of defence financing, including funding instruments of our Coinvest Capital VC fund and our national development bank ILTE", said Viktorija TRIMBEL, Managing Director at Coinvest Capital, Board Director at DAEN and LitBAN (Lithuanian Business Angels Network).

"We are fully authorised to make both single-use and dual-use defence VC investments and offer a globally unique profit-sharing incentive on exits for private coinvestors, acting as important market catalyst and gap-filler. Our defence portfolio companies, like Unmanned Defence Systems, Repsense, Astrolight, Luna Robotics, Starflight Dynamics, Airvolve, CBRX, Axiology and others, are building and scaling new technologies, addressing critical needs of NATO alliance and allies, helping Ukraine to resist and win, and contributing to the security and sovereignty of all Europe", added V.Trimbel.

Express your interest to join DAEN as a defence angel by completing this form:

https://framaforms.org/intention-to-join-daen-the-defence-angels-european-network-1772550976

About DAEN:

The Defence Angels European Network is an independent, non-profit initiative bringing together Business Angels, entrepreneurs, and innovation leaders across Europe. Supported by the two European federations of Business Angels, Bpifrance, and more than 20 national or regional BA networks, it aims to provide funding and support to European startups developing key technologies for Europe’s defence and security, through pan-European cooperation, cross-border investments, and shared expertise.

About Coinvest Capital:

Coinvest Capital is a sovereign venture capital fund established by the national development bank ILTE. The fund invests public funds of the EU and the Republic of Lithuania, alongside private investors, in promising European start-ups that create value for Lithuania. The Fund offers a globally unique profit-sharing program, capping its annual return on investments at 4 to 8 percent. In the event of a successful exit, any return exceeding this cap is allocated to accredited private co-investors. Since its inception, the Fund has co-invested in 52 startups and exited 8 investments. The total venture capital deployed amounts to more than €67.3 million, of which €27.3 million was contributed by Coinvest Capital and €39.4 million by private coinvestors, of which €13.2 million was with a profit-sharing incentive.

Press Contact

Emmanuel ANKRI, Managing Director of DAEN emmanuel.ankri@defenceangels.eu +33 6 12 19 65 49

Viktorija TRIMBEL, Managing Director of Coinvest Capital, Board Director at DAEN viktorija.trimbel@coinvest.lt, +370 610 62 000