Exploring Sovereign Defence Manufacturing & Warehouse Software for Europe
Early-stage validation of a software platform for European defence manufacturers addressing procurement, compliance, and supply chain challenges with European data sovereignty.
The Problem
European defence supply chains are fragmented across borders, regulatory regimes, and legacy systems. As defence spending accelerates and sovereignty concerns mount, manufacturers lack modern, compliant software infrastructure.
Fragmented tooling
Defence manufacturers rely on Excel spreadsheets, email chains, and manual workflows for critical procurement and production tracking.
US SaaS dependency
Existing software comes from US vendors subject to CLOUD Act and extraterritorial jurisdiction, creating sovereignty risks for European defence data.
Long procurement cycles
Defence contracts span years with strict documentation, traceability, and export control requirements that generic ERP systems cannot handle.
Supply chain opacity
Multi-tier supplier networks lack visibility, making it difficult to prove compliance, track component origin, or manage dual-use regulations.
Why now
The European Defence Industrial Strategy and related EU initiatives recognise that Europe must strengthen its industrial base and reduce strategic dependencies. Defence supply chains—spanning procurement, manufacturing, and logistics—are part of this critical infrastructure.
Yet much of the software managing these operations is hosted by non-European providers, creating jurisdictional exposure. As defence budgets grow and industrial policy shifts toward European suppliers, the question is whether software infrastructure should follow the same sovereignty principles now applied to hardware and components.
What We're Exploring
We are investigating whether a modular, European-hosted platform could consolidate critical manufacturing and warehouse functions for defence organisations—built with sovereignty, regulatory compliance, and supply chain security as foundational requirements rather than afterthoughts.
This means European jurisdiction for all data; auditability for regulators and certification authorities; compliance with GDPR, dual-use regulations, and export control frameworks; and infrastructure that can be inspected, verified, and trusted by European defence ministries and their suppliers.
Areas of focus
- Manufacturing management software with production scheduling, quality control, and real-time shop floor visibility
- Inventory and procurement systems with supplier qualification, lot tracking, and serialisation for traceability
- AI-powered analytics for manufacturing insights, anomaly detection, and data visualisation across operations
- Cyber security architecture meeting defense-grade requirements for access control, threat detection, and data protection
- Warehouse management with compliance for dual-use goods, export licences, and end-user certificates
- Documentation and audit systems with certificate management, test reports, and regulatory submission workflows
These capabilities represent hypotheses based on initial research. We are actively seeking feedback from practitioners to validate priorities, understand deployment constraints, and refine technical requirements.
Market & Timing
Defence spending growth
European defence budgets are increasing as member states respond to security threats and commit to higher spending targets, creating momentum for industrial modernisation.
Supply chain modernisation
Defence contractors face pressure to digitalise operations, improve traceability, and demonstrate compliance with evolving EU regulations and certification requirements.
Sovereignty requirements
European defence policy increasingly emphasises strategic autonomy and supply chain resilience. This extends beyond components and hardware to the digital infrastructure that manages them.
The European defence industrial base comprises thousands of manufacturers, many of them SMEs lacking modern digital tooling. Legacy ERP systems are expensive, inflexible, and often hosted outside European jurisdiction—creating compliance risks and limiting regulatory oversight.
For defence and dual-use supply chains, data residency is not a preference—it is a requirement. Procurement records, component traceability, export control documentation, and quality certificates must remain under European legal jurisdiction to enable audits, protect sensitive information, and meet certification standards. This creates a structural need for European-operated infrastructure purpose-built for defence workflows.
Current Status
We are in the ideation and validation phase. No company has been formally established, no product has been built, and we have no pilots, customers, or external funding.
Discovery conversations
Conducting interviews with defence industry professionals to understand workflow pain points, regulatory requirements, and procurement constraints.
Market research
Analysing existing software solutions, EU defence policy frameworks, and compliance requirements across member states to identify gaps and opportunities.
Incubation support
Engaged with the House of Entrepreneurship in Luxembourg to explore company formation pathways, funding options, and regulatory guidance.
Next Steps
Our immediate priorities centre on validation, learning, and relationship-building within the European defence ecosystem.
Problem validation
Continue discovery interviews with OEMs, Tier 1–3 suppliers, procurement officers, and compliance managers to validate pain points, understand existing workflows, and identify highest-priority gaps.
Advisory formation
Seek informal advisors with defence manufacturing, regulatory compliance, and European procurement experience to guide technical architecture and go-to-market strategy.
Technical prototyping
If validation confirms demand, develop proof-of-concept demonstrations for core workflows (procurement tracking, compliance documentation) to test with early design partners.
Call for Discovery Conversations
We are seeking conversations with individuals who understand European defence manufacturing, supply chain operations, regulatory compliance, or procurement processes.
Who we'd like to speak with
- Defence OEMs, system integrators, or Tier 1–3 suppliers managing complex manufacturing workflows
- Procurement and supply chain managers dealing with multi-tier supplier networks and traceability requirements
- Compliance officers handling export controls, dual-use regulations, or defence-specific certifications
- IT leaders at defence contractors evaluating or implementing manufacturing or warehouse software
- Industry advisors, policy experts, or investors familiar with European defence digitalisation
Get in touch
We're happy to discuss the problem space, share research findings, or simply learn from your experience. All conversations are informal and exploratory.
About Us
Two engineers with a combined 16+ years building mission-critical software at scale, now exploring the future of European defence manufacturing.
Kalpesh Singh
Co-Founder
Senior engineer with 10+ years building frontend systems and leading teams. Travelled to 25+ countries across Europe, building connections within the tech ecosystem and understanding cross-border business dynamics.
Subashish Das
Co-Founder
Senior engineer specialising in distributed systems and backend architecture. Previously led teams at Amazon designing large-scale infrastructure for mission-critical applications.
Between us, we have deep experience building large-scale manufacturing and warehouse software systems— handling inventory management, production workflows, traceability, and compliance for complex global supply chains. We understand the technical challenges of secure, auditable systems in regulated environments.
What We Bring
We do not have defence industry experience, but we believe our manufacturing software expertise and commitment to understanding the sector's unique requirements position us well to explore this problem space.