VÆRIDION attracts over €124 million to scale electric aviation

VÆRIDION, an all-electric aircraft manufacturer based in Germany, has closed an EUR 30 million Series A2 round to build the first conforming prototype of its nine-passenger Microliner. In parallel, VÆRIDION’s CAROLUS project has been selected by the European Commission for an EUR 94.5 million Innovation Fund grant to support the establishment and ramp-up of a final assembly facility at Oberpfaffenhofen Airport. 

Together, the announcements support two critical development stages: building the first conforming aircraft and establishing the industrial capability to manufacture the Microliner at scale, VÆRIDION said.

The equity round was led by SHIFT Invest and Invest-NL, with participation from existing investors World Fund, Project A and Vsquared Ventures, alongside PAYBACK founder and deep-tech investor Alexander Rittweger, among others. Including this equity round and earlier public funding, VÆRIDION has raised approximately EUR 60 million to date.

The grant comes from the EU Innovation Fund and is in addition to the equity raised.  

“This equity round enables us to build our first conforming aircraft. The Commission’s selection of CAROLUS supports the next step: establishing the industrial capability for Microliner production,” Ivor van Dartel, Founder and CEO of VÆRIDION, said. “Building out of Europe, our mission is to make regional flying commercially viable and accessible again, in Europe and for operators worldwide.”

Designed for regional routes, the clean-sheet Microliner combines a glider-inspired wing with patented integrated modular batteries and multi-engine, single-propeller propulsion system. It targets 400 kilometres in range with nine passengers under Instrument Flight Rules, or up to 550 kilometres with four passengers under Visual Flight Rules and is planned in passenger and cargo versions, VÆRIDION said.

While the equity round supports the first conforming Microliner and integrated propulsion testing, CAROLUS addresses the next industrial challenge: manufacturing and delivering electric regional aircraft at scale.  

“Regional aviation is one of the clearest cases where electrification makes both environmental and commercial sense,” Thijs Gitmans, General Partner at SHIFT Invest, said. “VÆRIDION has chosen a certification pathway regulators already understand and has delivered real hardware on a disciplined budget.”  

“For the past half century, Airbus has shown that Europe can build aircraft the world buys,” Daria Saharova, Managing Partner at World Fund, said. “VÆRIDION is writing the next chapter with a fully electric aircraft, built in Bavaria, with a clear path to certification. Investing in the future of aviation is Europe’s power play, and I am proud to back Ivor and the team.”