German electric-aircraft startup VÆRIDION has secured €30M to build the first full-scale prototype of its Microliner. The battery-powered plane is designed to carry nine passengers on regional routes of up to 400km.
Two Dutch backers led the round: venture investor SHIFT Invest and Invest-NL, the country’s national investment institution. Existing investors World Fund, Project A, Vsquared Ventures and InnovationQuarter also put in money. The company calls the round a Series A2, an extension of its earlier Series A.
With this round, VÆRIDION says it has raised about €60M in total. Ivor van Dartel and Sebastian Seemann started the company in Munich, Germany, in 2021. Both previously worked as managers at Airbus, and Van Dartel is now chief executive.
Van Dartel said the company has taken the Microliner “from a validated design into hardware”. He said the new money will pay for its “first conforming aircraft”. That is the first prototype built exactly to the design VÆRIDION wants regulators to approve.
Inside The Microliner
The Microliner is designed to run only on batteries, which are stored in its wings. They power two electric motors that turn a single propeller.
VÆRIDION says the plane can fly 400km and still hold the energy reserve that rules require for flying in poor visibility. The company says it will cruise at up to 235 knots, or about 435km/h, at altitude. It is also designed to carry up to 10 cubic metres of cargo and to recharge in under 40 minutes.
The company expects the plane to be quieter than conventional aircraft. It says this could let the Microliner use smaller regional airfields, subject to local permits.
Certification And Production
VÆRIDION is designing the Microliner under the rules the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) sets for small aeroplanes. The company says it was the first small-aircraft maker to sign a pre-application contract with EASA. This is an early agreement on how a new aircraft will be certified. In July, VÆRIDION and aerospace supplier GKN Aerospace signed a second contract with EASA, covering high-voltage electrical systems.
The company now plans to fly its prototype in mid-2028, later than the 2027 date it gave before. It is aiming to start commercial service in 2030.
In March, VÆRIDION opened a battery factory and test house at Oberpfaffenhofen, near Munich. It plans to expand aircraft assembly at the same site. The company also runs a research office in Delft, in the Netherlands, where it works with Delft University of Technology.
VÆRIDION says the European Commission has chosen its CAROLUS project for a €94.5M grant from the EU Innovation Fund, which supports low-carbon technology. According to the company, CAROLUS was one of 12 large projects picked from 358 applications, and the only one in aviation. The grant stays provisional until an agreement is signed, which VÆRIDION expects in 2027. The money is meant to help the company build up production at Oberpfaffenhofen.
Battery Deal And Buyers
American drone maker General Atomics Aeronautical Systems agreed in June to use VÆRIDION’s battery technology. It has not said how it will use the batteries.
That same month, VÆRIDION completed its preliminary design review. This is the formal check of the basic design before detailed engineering starts. Six European operators also signed letters of intent for more than 100 Microliners, including ABS Jets, Avanti Air, Copenhagen Helicopter and E-Flight Academy.
A letter of intent shows a plan to buy, but it is not a firm order. Belgium-based ASL Group placed a provisional order for ten aircraft in 2025. VÆRIDION now counts commitments for more than 130 aircraft, worth over €730M in total.
The company plans to serve business travellers first and add flights for the wider public later. It expects early ticket prices to be close to a first-class high-speed rail fare.
VÆRIDION wants battery-powered planes to fly short regional routes from small airfields. The €30M round is meant to take the company from design work and lab tests to its first full-scale aircraft. Dutch investors, a provisional EU grant and early interest from European operators now stand behind that next step.
