StirlingX raises £8.3m seed to secure energy networks with drones and AI
This article covers StirlingX, a drones startup, which has closed an extended Seed round at £8.3m ($11m). The funds will accelerate product development, international expansion and hires in engineering, AI and data science, and are aimed at supporting deployments of secure drone and data systems for critical infrastructure and defence customers.
StirlingX, a drones startup based in Cambridge, has closed an extended Seed round at £8.3m ($11m). The SAFE financing, led by the RCM Private Markets Fund managed by Rokos Capital Management with participation from GALLOS Technologies, ONE9 and a group of angel investors, will be used to speed product development, expand overseas and grow engineering, AI and data science teams. The round matters because it positions StirlingX among the better-funded young European tech companies and highlights investor appetite for secure drone and data systems used in critical national infrastructure and defence.
Why it matters
The £8.3m raise places StirlingX in the top 5% of European robotics and drones companies by seed funding, according to PitchBook data cited by the company. That level of backing for a early-stage business underlines growing investor interest in technologies that combine aerial platforms, resilient communications and on-board analytics — capabilities that matter when drones operate around energy networks, construction sites and other high-security environments.
The appointment of Sir Jeremy Fleming, former director of GCHQ, as chairman adds another layer of credibility for customers and public-sector buyers concerned with sovereignty and data security. The deal also signals continued flows of capital into UK hardware and systems businesses at a time when many investors favour software-first models.
Inside the product
StirlingX builds hardware and software for drone operations and data intelligence in complex, high-security settings. Its offering combines automated drone platforms, resilient communications links and AI-driven analytics to convert aerial and sensor data into operational intelligence. The company says the stack supports tasks across pre-construction planning, construction-phase operations, surveying and regulatory compliance.
StirlingX is already working on live projects with clients such as Murphy — a construction and engineering firm involved in infrastructure projects — and National Grid, the UK electricity and gas transmission operator. These customers illustrate the product’s immediate use cases: site surveying, monitoring construction progress and delivering data that feeds compliance processes.
Who are the investors?
The extended Seed was led by the RCM Private Markets Fund, which is managed by Rokos Capital Management. Other participants named by the company include GALLOS Technologies, ONE9 and a syndicate of angel investors. The round was raised via a SAFE instrument and builds on an initial seed tranche closed earlier in the summer.
According to StirlingX, the funds will accelerate product development, support international expansion and scale manufacturing and R&D at its Cambridge and Oxford sites, while enabling hires across engineering, AI and data science. The company cites PitchBook public data on European “robotics and drones” seed-stage companies since 2022 to support its claim of being in the top 5% by seed capital raised.
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Founder perspective
Dean Jones, CEO of StirlingX, said:
Completing our seed round marks another significant step in StirlingX’s growth. The confidence shown by our investors allows us to push further and faster in delivering sovereign, secure technology to partners across critical infrastructure and defence. With strong momentum behind us, we are well positioned to scale and deepen our impact across the markets we serve.
Sir Jeremy Fleming, Chairman of StirlingX, commented:
This is another clear signal of StirlingX’s ambition and progress. With world-class technology and a rapidly growing customer base, the company is demonstrating the essential role British innovation can play in securing and enhancing allied capability across critical national infrastructure and defence sectors.
The bigger picture
The deal illustrates two wider themes in the UK and European ecosystem. First, there is sustained investor interest in hardware-heavy startups that address national infrastructure and security needs, particularly where data sovereignty and resilient communications are part of the value proposition. Second, developers of regulated drone services are moving from pilot projects into operational deployments with utility and construction firms, which should influence procurement and standards-setting.
For the UK, StirlingX’s move to scale R&D and manufacturing in Cambridge and Oxford also feeds regional tech clusters and skills demand in robotics, AI and communications engineering. As regulators and buyers in the UK and Europe continue to clarify rules for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations and critical-infrastructure use, companies such as StirlingX will be a test case for how public and private customers adopt integrated drone and analytics systems.
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