BlinkTroll, the defence startup redefining firearms training with autonomous moving targets, has secured €1.5 million in pre-seed funding. The round included backing from a private Norwegian family office and the Nordic space and defence VC fund Final Frontier.
The new capital will enable BlinkTroll to scale production, accelerate product development, and expand its reach across European defence forces, bringing advanced, soldier-designed training technology to the front lines.
Backed by solid Nordic investors, BlinkTroll is entering a strategic partnership grounded in a shared vision for the future of European defence. The collaboration is driven by a mutual commitment to strengthening NATO allies and supporting Ukraine through accessible, high-impact training technology designed to meet the demands of modern defence operations.
Esben Gadsbøll, head of Defence Highway Innovation and Danish Tech Startups, comments, “It’s inspiring to see Nordic defence startups like BlinkTroll develop technology that directly supports those on the front lines. This is exactly the kind of founder-driven innovation European defence needs, combining deep operational insight with the speed and focus we now see coming out of Ukraine.”
Ukrainian soldier training on BlinkTroll
Founded in 2022 by two former Norwegian soldiers, BlinkTroll was born out of firsthand experience. Having served in the Norwegian Armed Forces, the founders witnessed critical gaps in existing training systems. Their goal was clear: create a better, simpler, and more accessible way for soldiers to prepare for the realities of combat.
“Our product is made by soldiers, for soldiers,” said Kenneth Skorpen, CEO and Founder of BlinkTroll. “We designed BlinkTroll to help our former coworkers — the people still serving on the front lines. Simplicity and realism were our top priorities. This is about democratizing access to high-quality, effective training across the defence sector.”
BlinkTroll founders, Øystein Hoveland & Kenneth Skorpen
BlinkTroll’s autonomous, wire-based target systems simulate agile, unpredictable threats to create a more realistic and adaptive training environment. By moving beyond static targets, the system helps soldiers prepare for real-life combat scenarios, increasing their hit accuracy to 80% on high-speed moving targets and significantly enhancing their effectiveness against real-world threats.*
With this new funding, BlinkTroll will scale production, advance its product roadmap, and expand deployment across European defence forces.
“This investment allows us to scale faster and build the future of dynamic defence training,” Øystein Hatlestad Hovland, COO and co-founder, added. “BlinkTroll is not just a robot — it's a new standard in combat readiness and the first step in creating a full ecosystem of defence technology built for protecting the free world.”
*Data based on research from a live-fire exercise in Europe, measuring hit accuracy improvements in both trained and untrained soldiers after using the BlinkTroll system.[:]