Defence Holdings shares fall after firm backs defence fund
Defence Holdings PLC on Monday said it has committed £2.0 million as a cornerstone investor in a new UK Defence Fund focused on early-stage defence technology companies.
Shares in the company plummeted 16% to 0.86 pence in London on Monday afternoon.
The London-based defence technology group said the fund will bring together third-party capital alongside its investment, providing a capital-efficient way to gain exposure to a broader range of defence technology opportunities while maintaining its focus on sovereign software.
The UK Defence Fund will invest between £250,000 and £1.0 million in minority stakes in private defence companies at the pre-seed and seed stages. Areas of focus include artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber resilience, secure infrastructure and information dominance.
Defence Holdings said five companies are already undergoing initial due diligence, with investment terms potentially to be agreed over the next two to three months.
The company added that the fund intends to seek UK public-backed capital participation, which, if approved, could increase the amount of capital available for investment.
Chief Executive Andrew Roughan said: "The Defence Fund provides a mechanism through which we can participate in both, while remaining disciplined about where Defence Holdings deploys its own capital."
He added: "Our commitment to a £2 million cornerstone investment is structured to sit alongside capital from a third-party investor base, increasing the overall investment capacity available to support defence technology businesses identified through the ecosystem."
The fund's initial fundraising is expected to close around the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Defence Holdings expects to fund its commitment around the end of September, with the fund targeting deployment of its initial capital by the end of March 2027.
The company said the investment does not alter its strategy as a software-led defence technology business but extends its operating model by providing another route to participate in the wider defence technology sector.
The investment is a related-party transaction because Chief Executive Roughan, Finance Director Brian Stockbridge, Chief Technology Officer Andrew McCartney and Vice President Richard Bassett are founding principals of the fund. Defence Holdings said its independent directors approved the investment, concluding it is fair and reasonable for non-related-party shareholders.
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