We are proud to announce the formal launch of Autonomy Partners: an independent, specialist private equity firm investing in Northwestern European SMEs and scale-ups across the Defence, Aerospace, and Security domains.
Our mission: To help the companies building Europe’s strategic autonomy realise their full potential.
The launch comes at a defining moment for the sector. European rearmament and a structural shift toward local procurement are fuelling a rapidly growing base of defence SMEs and scale-ups. Yet after more than 20 years of budget cuts and investor exclusions, specialist investor expertise remains scarce – precisely when these businesses stand to benefit most from dedicated shareholder support.
Autonomy Partners exists to close that long-standing gap. Our focus:
- Defence, Aerospace, and Security
- Buyouts and growth capital
- SMEs and scale-ups
- Northwestern Europe (Benelux, Nordics, and Germany)
Based in Amsterdam, Autonomy Partners was founded by Erik Jan van Lubek and Steef Sint Nicolaas. We bring over 20 years of combined investment experience across the defence, technology, and industrial sectors, alongside a genuine passion for the sector. We believe the companies we back deserve more than generalist capital, which is why our proposition goes beyond capital alone. We provide hands-on, sector-specific support, backed by a network of defence and technology entrepreneurs, veteran leaders, and policy experts.
Over the past months, we have spoken with numerous founders, management teams, investors, and sector insiders – conversations that have only strengthened our conviction: the time for dedicated capital in European defence is now.
To learn more about our approach and investment focus, explore the rest of our website or get in touch at contact@autonomypartners.eu.