Global Resilience Innovation Fund Research
Investment Thesis
Global Resilience Innovation Fund (GRIF) is a Luxembourg-domiciled venture capital fund (structured as an SCS SICAV-RAIF) that backs disruptive technologies strengthening the resilience of western democracies. The fund's thesis is that growing global interdependencies have become vulnerabilities: geopolitical tensions, cyberattacks, and climate-related disruptions now pose short- and long-term threats that require a strategic, resilient approach to defence, disaster preparedness, and innovation. GRIF explicitly frames its focus areas as not being a "hype" play — the team and its extended network have operated in defence, security, and disaster-management fields for years, and the fund positions itself as a bridge between deep operational expertise (military, disaster risk, cybersecurity) and venture capital.
Sector Focus
GRIF organizes its mandate around a five-point "GRIF Focus" framework:
- Defence
- Aviation and Space
- Critical Infrastructure
- (Cyber)Security
- Disaster Management
The fund backs tech founders developing disruptive innovations across these categories, with an emphasis on dual-use technologies (civilian and military application) that are relevant to NATO members and allied nations.
Stage Focus
GRIF invests across a wide stage range, from Pre-Seed through Series B and beyond, per its own investor materials ("Stage: Pre-Seed – Series B+"). This breadth suggests a flexible mandate rather than a strict early-stage-only fund, with reserves likely available for follow-on rounds in winning portfolio companies.
Check Size
Ticket size is disclosed as "> EUR 500k" per the firm's investor page — i.e., a minimum check of roughly €500,000, with no stated upper bound. Given the fund's stated ability to invest through Series B+, larger checks at later stages are plausible but not confirmed.
Lead Tendency
Not explicitly disclosed. GRIF's public communications describe "completing" investments (e.g., HyImpulse) without specifying lead vs. follow role, so lead tendency is marked unknown pending further evidence.
Recent Activity
GRIF was officially incorporated in Luxembourg and became fully operational on July 25, 2025. It completed its first disclosed investment in HyImpulse (announced March 2026) and has two additional "stealth" investments in German defence companies that are completed but not yet publicly named. The firm describes itself as "actively investing and raising" as of its most recent investor communications (2026). Its most recent public activity is a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) at Hannover Messe in May 2026, aimed at accelerating the transformation of German aerospace, defence, and dual-use research into scalable companies.
Portfolio Highlights
- HyImpulse — German hybrid (paraffin-fueled) rocket propulsion company; first company to successfully launch a suborbital rocket (SR75) from Australia in 2024; closed a €45M funding round in 2026 that received broad European media coverage. GRIF's first disclosed investment.
- Two additional stealth investments in German defence companies, not yet publicly named.
Team
GRIF is run by a partnership of three Managing Partners plus a broader advisory board and network:
- Faik Yargucu, Managing Partner — Asset management, operations & sales, co-owner of an investment boutique
- Dr. Sabine Hampel, Managing Partner — Ex-military and finance background; asset management, defence, economics, sustainability; appointed as a mentor for the NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) accelerator in 2026
- Dr. Priscilla Schelp, Managing Partner — Venture capital scouting, startups & networks, disaster risk expert (natural and manmade); long-standing organizer of an official Munich Security Conference side event
- Alex M. Lawrence, Managing Director (INED) — Venture capital scouting, adjunct professor in PE/entrepreneurship, independent director
- Eva Weber, Fund Operations & Investment Manager — Joined April 2026 from venture capital and scale-up roles in Singapore and at Adyen (Amsterdam); supports fund operations and investment processes
- Dr. Moritz Brake, Advisory Board Member — Reserve officer, German Navy; maritime security specialist; entrepreneur
- Bernhard Langer, Advisory Board Member — Asset management, quantitative finance, big data & AI
- Maik Ludewig, Advisory Board Member — Digitalization, data & AI, scaling startups
- Tim von Törne, Advisory Board Member — Serial tech entrepreneur; building/scaling, fundraising & exits, digital business models, autonomous systems & AI
- Dr. Judith Wunschik, Advisory Board Member — Cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, CISO for an energy company
The advisory board is described as intentionally combining public advisors with a number of senior experts who contribute more discreetly, supporting both the fund and its portfolio companies with strategic, operational, and market expertise.
Decision Process
GRIF operates as a partnership of three Managing Partners (Yargucu, Hampel, Schelp) supported by a Managing Director and a large advisory board, rather than a solo-GP structure or formal investment committee disclosed publicly.
Founder Preferences
Not explicitly disclosed, though GRIF's public activity (events, advisory board composition, DIANA mentorship) signals a strong preference for founders operating in defence, aerospace/space, critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, and disaster-management technology with dual-use relevance to NATO and allied governments.
Geographic Focus
GRIF invests in startups based across NATO member countries and allied nations, with an evident concentration of activity and network in Germany (HyImpulse, DLR partnership, Hannover Messe, Munich Security Conference, WELT Security/AI Summits) and Luxembourg, where the fund is domiciled and a member of the LPEA (Luxembourg Private Equity & Venture Capital Association).
Public Profile and Ecosystem Engagement
GRIF has built a highly visible public and institutional presence for a young fund (operational since mid-2025): NATO DIANA accelerator mentorship, membership in the LPEA, a Memorandum of Understanding with DLR, and appearances at the Munich Security Conference, WELT AI Summit (alongside the Axel Springer Award ceremony honoring Sam Altman), WELT Security Summit, Handelsblatt GovTech Summit, and FIBE Berlin, plus press coverage in Paperjam Luxembourg, WirtschaftsWoche, and Private Banking Magazin. This level of institutional and media engagement for a sub-one-year-old fund suggests an intentional strategy of building credibility and deal flow within the transatlantic defence-innovation ecosystem.