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Brisbane-headquartered Beaten Zone Venture Partners has announced the backing of US defence technology company Tiberius Aerospace in their US$4.5 million founders’ round.
Beaten Zone Venture Partners’ first fund, Beaten Zone Venture Capital Fund 1, LP (BZVF1), has invested as part of the raise, alongside Never Lift Ventures, Blacklake, Firedrop VC, and strategic co-investors.
Tiberius, founded in 2022, is pioneering a new “Defence as a service” model alongside procurement and scaling of precision strike capabilities. Tiberius is the first announced US-based investment in the BZVF1 portfolio.
Tiberius currently develops long-range munitions (Sceptre and Invictus) and the GRAIL AI-powered analysis platform delivered through a modular IP licensing model that enables sovereign manufacturing at scale.
Last week, Tiberius secured a $5 million contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to speed up the development of Sceptre, a 155mm ramjet-powered round compatible with NATO howitzers. Tiberius’ Sceptre compresses missile performance into an artillery round that is low cost, compatible with existing NATO howitzers, and built for mass production and rapid fielding.
Testing will be independently validated by the US Defense Innovation Unit. If the project meets its milestones, the deal is anticipated to lead to additional orders and revenue from software licensing.
“Tiberius sits at the intersection of urgent global demand for affordable long-range precision fires and the need for sovereign manufacturing pathways,” Beaten Zone Venture Partners lead investor and founder Steve Baxter said.
“Their approach, separating IP and software from hardware production, creates scalability, resilience and cost efficiency that traditional Defence contractors cannot match.
“This is exactly the kind of capability we back: strengthening national security, delivering new levels of capability and improving survivability for our allies.”
As NATO and AUKUS allies quickly increase their use of precision munitions in reaction to the Ukraine conflict, Tiberius’ model presents a significant advancement, according to Beaten Zone Venture Partners. By licensing its IP and integrating its AI-based GRAIL platform into procurement and targeting processes, the company seeks to speed up development, reduce costs and offer governments adaptable options to restock their supplies.
Internationally, the missile market is forecast to grow from US$27.2 billion in 2025 to more than US$114 billion by 2033, while artillery systems are set to reach US$13.5 billion by 2030, creating strong tailwinds for next-generation solutions like Tiberius’ Sceptre.
