Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
October 24, 2025
Vermeer Secures $10M to Scale GPS-Free Drone Navigation Tech
TLDR
- Vermeer's $10M funding enables defense clients to gain GPS-independent drone navigation advantage in contested environments against electronic warfare threats.
- Vermeer's Visual Positioning System uses multiple cameras and AI processing to compare live visuals against landmark databases for precise GPS-free navigation.
- Vermeer's technology enhances drone precision to protect military personnel and improve autonomous systems for safer defense operations worldwide.
- Vermeer developed its navigation technology while operating in a war zone, growing from 10 to 40 employees within just one year.
Impact - Why it Matters
This development matters because GPS jamming and spoofing have become increasingly common tactics in modern warfare and security threats, rendering traditional navigation systems vulnerable. Vermeer's Visual Positioning System technology addresses this critical vulnerability by providing reliable navigation in contested environments where GPS signals are compromised. For military operations, this means drones and autonomous systems can maintain mission effectiveness even when adversaries deploy electronic warfare countermeasures. Beyond defense applications, this technology has significant implications for commercial drone operations, autonomous vehicles, and critical infrastructure protection where GPS reliability cannot be guaranteed. As nations and non-state actors increasingly develop electronic warfare capabilities, navigation systems that can operate independently of GPS become essential for national security, emergency response, and maintaining technological superiority in contested environments.
Summary
Vermeer, an American-Ukrainian defense technology startup with operations in both New York and Kyiv, has successfully closed a substantial $10 million Series A funding round to advance its cutting-edge vision navigation and autonomy technologies. The investment was spearheaded by prominent venture capital firm Draper Associates, with additional backing from a consortium of strategic investors including Los Angeles-based AeroX Ventures, Boscolo Intervest, High Point Ventures, Rockaway Ventures, and the influential U.S. Air Force Techstars accelerator program. This significant capital infusion will enable Vermeer to expand its critical partnerships with U.S. military forces, NATO allies, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine while scaling its revolutionary optical navigation technology for both defense and commercial applications worldwide.
The company's core innovation centers around its Visual Positioning System (VPS) technology, which provides a GPS-independent navigation solution absolutely essential for drones and other aerial vehicles operating in contested or GPS-denied environments. This technology employs multiple electro-optical or infrared cameras to interpret the surrounding environment by comparing live visuals against a sophisticated database of landmarks and pre-existing maps, all enhanced by advanced AI processing via Nvidia chips. Vermeer's impressive growth trajectory is evidenced by its expansion from just 10 employees to 40 within a single year, with the company already serving over 30 distinguished customers including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, defense giants Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, and with active deployment by Ukrainian forces to maintain drone efficacy against adversarial electronic warfare tactics.
CEO Brian Streem, who was notably featured in Inc. magazine's prestigious 30 Under 30 list in 2017, emphasized that building advanced technology in an active war zone has forced the company to iterate faster, build smarter, and focus exclusively on what actually works in real combat situations. The company's development has been significantly bolstered by its participation in the U.S. Air Force's Techstars accelerator program and substantial non-dilutive Small Business Innovation Research funding through the AFWERX program. As geopolitical tensions and cyber-electronic warfare continue to intensify globally, Vermeer's navigation solutions resistant to jamming and spoofing represent a vital and increasingly critical niche within the rapidly evolving drone and autonomous platform sectors, positioning the company at the forefront of defense technology innovation.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by citybiz. Read the original source here, Vermeer Secures $10M to Scale GPS-Free Drone Navigation Tech
