Munich-based aviation startup VÆRIDION has raised €30 million in a Series A2 funding round and selected for a €94.5 million grant from the European Commission’s Innovation Fund, bringing the combined value to €124.5 million.
The investment round was co-led by Dutch investors SHIFT Invest and Invest-NL, with participation from existing backers World Fund, Project A and Vsquared Ventures. PAYBACK founder and DeepTech investor Alexander Rittweger also joined the round. VÆRIDION has raised approximately €60 million to date, excluding the newly announced EU grant.
Ivor van Dartel, founder and CEO of VÆRIDION, says: “Over the past year, we have turned the Microliner from a validated design into hardware, with exceptional capital efficiency. Our propulsion and battery technology is now being tested at our own facility in Oberpfaffenhofen. This equity round enables us to build our first conforming aircraft. The Commission’s selection of CAROLUS supports the next step: establishing the industrial capability for Microliner production.
“Building out of Europe, our mission is to make regional flying commercially viable and accessible again, in Europe and for operators worldwide.”
VÆRIDION’s announcement comes amid other European funding rounds for next-generation aircraft and aerospace technologies in 2026.
In France, AURA AERO announced a €50 million Series B to advance its electric and hybrid-electric aircraft programmes, while HyLight raised €13 million for hydrogen-powered autonomous airships. In the UK, Greenjets secured €35 million for aerospace propulsion technology and Skyfly raised €8.91 million for electric aircraft development.
Elsewhere, Denmark’s Acodyne secured €2.5 million for unmanned cargo aircraft, while Germany’s SPREAD AI raised €25 million for industrial engineering software serving sectors including aerospace.
Together with VÆRIDION’s €30 million equity round, these selected announcements represent approximately €164.4 million in financing, excluding VÆRIDION’s separately selected EU grant.
Source: EU-Startups
EU-Startups previously covered VÆRIDION’s €14 million Series A in December 2024, led by returning investor World Fund.
Daria Saharova, Managing Partner at World Fund, adds: “For the past half century, Airbus has shown that Europe can build aircraft the world buys. VÆRIDION is writing the next chapter with a fully electric aircraft, built in Bavaria, with a clear path to certification. Investing in the future of aviation is Europe’s power play, and I am proud to back Ivor and the team.”
Founded in 2021 by former Airbus manager Ivor van Dartel and headquartered in Munich, VÆRIDION is developing fully electric aircraft designed to make short-distance regional aviation more economically viable.
Its flagship aircraft, the Microliner, aims to carry nine passengers over distances of approximately 400 kilometres, connecting regional destinations that have become increasingly difficult to serve profitably using conventional aircraft.
The €30 million investment will finance the development of VÆRIDION’s first certification-conforming aircraft and further propulsion testing. Meanwhile, the €94.5 million Innovation Fund grant is intended to support the CAROLUS project, which will establish and scale up a final assembly facility at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport, near Munich.
The project was selected from 358 applications as one of 12 large-scale projects, making VÆRIDION the only German company and the only aviation project selected in this category. The grant remains subject to the completion of an agreement expected in 2027.
The Microliner combines a glider-inspired wing with patented modular battery technology and a multi-engine propulsion system driving a single propeller. It is being developed in passenger and cargo configurations, with a targeted range of 400 kilometres carrying nine passengers under Instrument Flight Rules, or up to 550 kilometres carrying four passengers under Visual Flight Rules.
The company is targeting operating costs below €0.40 per seat-kilometre, which it believes could allow operators to offer tickets at prices comparable to first-class journeys on Germany’s ICE high-speed trains. Its broader ambition is to restore regional connections, including services linking smaller German cities and airfields that are no longer served by commercial airlines.
Thijs Gitmans, General Partner at SHIFT Invest, adds: “Regional aviation is one of the clearest cases where electrification makes both environmental and commercial sense. VÆRIDION has chosen a certification pathway regulators already understand and has delivered real hardware on a disciplined budget. We are proud to lead this round and to back a European champion in electric flight with European funding.”
The company reports customer commitments for more than 130 aircraft, representing a potential value exceeding €730 million. Its launch customer is Belgium-based ASL Group, with the first Microliner delivery targeted for 2030.
In March 2026, VÆRIDION opened its production and testing facility at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport, where it has since powered on its electric engine for the first time. The facility was acquired following the insolvency of German electric aviation startup Lilium.
The startup is now preparing to integrate its battery packs and propulsion system into a ground-testing platform known as a copper bird. Alongside wind-tunnel testing, this work will support the development of its first certification-conforming prototype, currently targeted for late 2027 or early 2028.
With engineering activities in Munich and Delft, and production planned in Bavaria, VÆRIDION intends to expand its European team as it progresses towards flight testing, certification and industrial production.
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