Every AI startup in Europe is selling sovereignty. Valarian just raised $50M to prove infrastructure governance is different — TFN

Valarian raised $50M in Series A funding led by NEA to build AI infrastructure governance for governments and enterprises

The company is developing the infrastructure layer that allows governments and enterprises to retain control over mission-critical AI systems.

It’s the fifth sovereign-AI infrastructure raise in Europe this year, making nearly identical claims

London-based Valarian has raised $50 million in Series A funding led by New Enterprise Associates, bringing its total funding to $70 million. The round marks NEA’s first defence and dual-use investment in Europe, and it lands the company in one of the most crowded pitches in venture capital right now: sovereign AI infrastructure.

“The intelligence layer of Western institutions is consolidating: quietly, contract by contract, department by department, into systems those institutions do not control. We built Valarian because sovereignty isn’t a feature you can add later. It’s architecture you have to build from the ground up,” says Max Buchan, chief executive and co-founder of Valarian.