Valarian
UK 'sovereign infrastructure' platform letting governments run AI workloads under their own control.
Valarian builds ACRA, a sovereign-infrastructure platform that lets governments and enterprises run AI workloads and manage sensitive data/communications under their own control, positioned as an alternative to depending on US hyperscalers or Palantir. Founded in 2020 as Worldr by Max Buchan (CEO) and Dzmitry Maskaliou, later joined by co-founder Josh McLaughlin (COO, retired US Army Special Forces officer, 12 years at Palantir); headquartered in London. Renamed Valarian Technologies Limited on 2 November 2023. Emerged from stealth with a $20M seed round (including a later $7M add-on), then raised a $50M Series A led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in July 2026 — NEA's first European defense/dual-use investment — bringing total funding to $70M. Other investors include Scout Ventures and Artis Ventures.
Overview
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Founded
- 2020
- Employees
- Total funding
- $70M
- Stage
- Series A
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Sovereign AI infrastructure, Data sovereignty, Government cloud software
- Website
- www.valarian.com
Founders3
- FounderMax BuchanCo-founder and CEO of Valarian; previously co-founded CoinShares and later served as CEO of UK retirement platform Choice. Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe alumnus.
- FounderJosh McLaughlinCo-founder and COO of Valarian; retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer and former Palantir market-expansion lead, including Palantir's entry into Qatar.
- FounderDzmitry MaskaliouOriginal co-founder of Valarian's predecessor Worldr; a lawyer-turned-founder, served as a company director from the Worldr era until October 2023, around the time of the Valarian rebrand.
Investors8
- FundNew Enterprise Associates (NEA)One of the world's largest VC firms with significant national security portfolio.
- FundScout VenturesSeed-stage VC investing in dual-use technologies for national security.
- FundArtis VenturesArtis Ventures is a San Francisco venture capital firm founded in 2001, known for its 'TechBio' thesis at the intersection of technology and biology. It participated in Arkenstone Defense's $35M seed round.
- FundIQ CapitalCambridge/London deep-tech venture capital firm investing pre-seed to Series A across Europe (portfolio includes Thought Machine, Nuclear Turbines, FocalPoint); participated in Isembard's $50M Series A (March 2026), confirmed via IQ Capital's own portfolio page.
- FundMolten VenturesLondon-listed European VC (formerly Draper Esprit), rebranded from Draper Esprit in November 2021; led Valarian's (then Worldr) $11M seed round in November 2022; portfolio includes ICEYE and Isar Aerospace.
- FundLightbankChicago VC co-founded by Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell (Groupon founders); early-stage generalist investor, ~$700M raised since 2010; participated in Valarian's $50M Series A, July 2026.
- FundXTX VenturesVenture arm of XTX Markets, the London quantitative trading firm; backs AI/ML-centric seed-to-Series A startups plus strategically relevant later-stage bets; participated in Valarian's $50M Series A, July 2026.
- FundLitquidity VenturesInvestment vehicle tied to the Litquidity finance-media brand; backs early-stage fintech, AI, and frontier-tech startups; participated in Valarian's $50M Series A, July 2026.
Cap table0
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Raised per round
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
SequelNew | preferred | ~20.0% |
| preferred | ~20.0% | |
XTX VenturesNew | preferred | ~20.0% |
LightbankNew | preferred | ~20.0% |
| preferred | ~20.0% |
Contracts0
No linked records yet.
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What does Valarian do?
- Valarian builds ACRA, a sovereign-infrastructure platform that lets governments and enterprises run AI workloads and manage sensitive data/communications under their own control, positioned as an alternative to depending on US hyperscalers or Palantir. Founded in 2020 as Worldr by Max Buchan (CEO) and Dzmitry Maskaliou, later joined by co-founder Josh McLaughlin (COO, retired US Army Special Forces officer, 12 years at Palantir); headquartered in London. Renamed Valarian Technologies Limited on 2 November 2023. Emerged from stealth with a $20M seed round (including a later $7M add-on), then raised a $50M Series A led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) in July 2026 — NEA's first European defense/dual-use investment — bringing total funding to $70M. Other investors include Scout Ventures and Artis Ventures.
- Where is Valarian headquartered?
- Valarian is headquartered in London, United Kingdom and was founded in 2020.
- How much funding has Valarian raised?
- Valarian has raised $70M in disclosed funding.
- What does Valarian specialize in?
- Valarian works across Sovereign AI infrastructure, Data sovereignty, Government cloud software.
Sources & citations3
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Raised $50M Series A led by NEA, NEA's first European defense investment, July 2026; total funding $70M
The AI Insider: Valarian Secures $50M Series A Led by NEA to Deliver the Sovereign Infrastructure Layer for High-Consequence Operations and AI-Driven SystemsVerified2026-07-21 - 2
Emerged from stealth with $20M seed funding, launched Valarian Defence
PR Newswire: Valarian Emerges From Stealth With $20M in Seed Funding, Launches Valarian Defence Amid Global Infrastructure ShiftVerified2025-05-01 - 3
Worldr Technologies Limited changed its name to Valarian Technologies Limited, certificate issued 2 November 2023
Companies House (UK): Valarian Technologies Limited — filing historyVerified2023-11-02