Expeditions opens Munich office and welcomes Sir Nick Borton and Barbara Piette as senior advisors

Expeditions opens Munich office and welcomes Sir Nick Borton and Barbara Piette as senior advisors

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• Expeditions is expanding its footprint and team a few months after closing Fund II at €197M, which backs founders building the technology needed to address Europe’s critical capability gaps
• The firm has also welcomed two new senior advisors, Lieutenant General Sir Nick Borton and Barbara Piette, whose combined expertise of defence, NATO and venture capital will provide valuable strategic insights
• Investment Manager Dominik von Moeller has joined the Munich office to drive Expeditions’  DACH investments in one of the most important markets for defence talent and growth in the region, alongside Investment Associate Sophia Habsburg-Lothringen

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WARSAW / MUNICH, 24 September 2026 – Expeditions, the leading early-stage investor in the future of European security, has announced the opening of its first office in Germany, and the team that is driving the operations from Munich: Investment Manager Dominik von Moeller, alongside Investment Associate Sophia Habsburg-Lothringen. The firm has also welcomed two new senior advisors, Lieutenant General Sir Nick Borton and Barbara Piette, who are bringing deep knowledge of defence, NATO and venture capital to support Expedition and its portfolio companies.

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The announcement comes just a few months after the close of the Expeditions’ Fund II at €197M to invest in the technologies and founders shaping the future of European defence and strengthening its sovereignty.

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“Germany has Europe's largest defence budget, deep industrial talent, and one of its most dynamic defence-tech ecosystems, with Munich at its centre. Having already backed German companies like Alpine Eagle and Project Q, we are pleased to open our Munich office today. Led by Dominik, whose industry experience and local network will allow us to better serve founders in the region, it builds on our existing work and strengthens our practice”, said Dr Mikolaj Firlej, Co-Founder and General Partner of Expeditions. “We are also happy to welcome Sir Nick Borton and Barbara Piette whose combined expertise of defence, NATO and venture capital will provide valuable strategic insights to Expeditions, while supporting portfolio company growth”.

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Sir Nick Borton has extensive Defence experience, built over more than three decades of service in the British Army, alongside senior roles in strategy and policy at the UK Ministry of Defence. His most recent appointment was command of the NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, UK’s senior field formation, focused on NATO deterrence in Europe. Barbara Piette is a seasoned venture capitalist and an experienced board member. She has worked as a trusted advisor with many established and emerging venture funds and several early stage technology companies spanning industry sectors such as robotics, cybersecurity, and fintech, and teaches Leadership Communications at Boston University Questrom School.

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Sir Nick Borton, said: “I am delighted to be joining the team at Expeditions, as they continue their important work in helping to keep Europe safe, developing much-needed  capabilities and thereby strengthening alliances”

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Barbara Piette said: “I am honored to work with Expeditions, which have found an underserved and rapidly growing gap in the venture capital landscape, with a team uniquely qualified to serve that gap. Miko and Stanislaw have carefully assembled a deep bench of investors who understand both technology and markets. The Expeditions team has established an impeccable reputation and proven their “right to win” the best defense investments in Europe due to their domain expertise, value add, and their ecosystem of entrepreneurs and customers. I believe that they have emerged as a leading player in this critically important space.”

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Investment Manager Dominik von Moeller will be overseeing Expedition’s DACH efforts in one of the most important markets for defence in the region. He will be joined by Investment Associate Sophia Habsburg-Lothringen, who has been with the team since April 2025. They will work to extend the firm’s footprint in a strategic location and continue backing founders building the defining technologies of our time. Expeditions plans to keep expanding its presence across Europe, with new offices in other cities to follow. 

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“A big part of the future of European defence will be shaped by Germany as the bloc’s largest country, as we can already see by our affirmative action on the defence budget side. This will continue to set the stage for new groundbreaking companies, just like Germany is already home to many of the leading European defence tech startups and neoprimes that contribute to the region’s sovereignty. As the geopolitical landscape continues to shift, we have the opportunity and responsibility to strengthen unity across the continent, deepening cooperation and building the capabilities needed for a more resilient and strategically autonomous Europe,” said Dominik von Moeller, Investment Manager at Expeditions. “Germany and in particular Munich is a place with world-class talent and a growth hub for the defence tech industry. Something that we will especially focus on here are companies building the underlying sovereign supply chains for the technologies that will define Europe’s defence and security.”

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Expeditions is based in Warsaw and London, founded in 2021 by defence technology and autonomous warfare experts Dr Mikolaj Firlej and Stanislaw Kastory, Co-Founders and General Partners. Expeditions believes that European security will be determined not by declarations or spending targets which still prioritise traditional defence, but by whether Europe can build and deploy sovereign advanced capabilities, especially autonomous systems, in the next two years. That means backing defence tech founders early and providing access to the growth capital that is sorely lacking in Europe to sustain the high growth momentum for their portfolio.

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Across its portfolio, Expeditions has backed the majority of the most well-funded defence-tech startups in Europe, such as UForce, Orqa, Cambridge Aerospace, Frankenburg Technologies, and Orasio. Based on Cambridge Associates benchmark data, Fund I’s performance – which included leading startups such as Alpine Eagle, ComandAI, Blackwall, Horizon Quantum, and Nu Quantum – places Expeditions among the top 0.01% of venture funds globally.

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– ENDS –

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About Expeditions

Expeditions is the leading early-stage investor in the future of European security. Founded in 2021 by a team of early researchers and pioneers in the future of warfare, Expeditions invests in leading startups at the intersection of security and deep tech. It is a champion for innovation in these crucial sectors, breaking down institutional resistance to enable exceptional European founders to succeed.

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