When managing an investment project, rigorous monitoring is crucial to ensuring that it is fully implemented, that deadlines and targets are met and that the incentive received is maximized.
What are the management activities/tasks? Here are a few of them!
Formalizing incentive payment requests;
Monitoring the execution of the project and its contractualized indicators;
Assisting in the preparation for on-site inspections and overseeing them on the day of the visit.
Tekever, a drone manufacturer and leader in autonomous systems powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), has recently been recognised as a unicorn, surpassing a valuation of one billion pounds (approximately €1.2 billion).
This valuation resulted from a fully subscribed funding round backed by investors including Ventura Capital, Baillie Gifford, Iberis Capital, Crescent Cove, and the NATO Innovation Fund. Although the exact amount raised was not disclosed, the round enabled the company to exceed the symbolic unicorn threshold of one billion dollars. Portugal now has seven unicorns: Outsystems, Feedzai, Talkdesk, Remote, Anchorage, Sword Health, and Tekever.
About Tekever Founded in 2001 by alumni of Instituto Superior Técnico, Tekever initially focused on Artificial Intelligence but, from 2010 onwards, specialised in surveillance drones. The company’s systems, which have accumulated over 10,000 flight hours in combat scenarios, have played a crucial role in the war in Ukraine, in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Defence. The AR3 drones, known for their endurance and autonomy, are reported to have contributed to the destruction of more than €3.5 million in Russian equipment.
In 2013, the company opened its first office in Southampton, UK, a production unit at West Wales Airport in Aberporth, and more recently, facilities in France.
Ricardo Mendes, CEO of Tekever, stated: “The future of defence depends on agility. We want to create an ecosystem that enables rapid innovation and scale, ensuring Europe’s security.”
Alongside the unicorn announcement, Tekever also launched “OVERMATCH”, a €470 million investment programme to be implemented over five years in the UK. The plan includes the creation of over 1,000 skilled jobs, the development of research infrastructure, and the expansion of AR3 and AR5 drone production, with the goal of strengthening the UK’s sovereign capability in autonomous and defence technologies.
