Delian Alliance Industries: autonomous surveillance 24/7

“At the start it was just me and a slide deck,” smiles Dimitrios Kottas, founder and CEO of Delian Alliance Industries. Delian produces dual-use technologies – goods, software, and technology that have both civilian and military applications. Delian, specifically, builds software and hardware to counter physical threats at machine speed, with a focus on areas like surveillance and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations.

Delian’s technologies support efforts to protect European sea and land borders while also detecting forest fires. Based in Athens, Delian’s technologies support efforts to protect European sea and land borders while also detecting forest fires – an invaluable tool for a country that has experienced over 300 fires since 2020 and remains at the forefront of migration challenges. Their products are designed for harsh, remote areas and can identify and geolocate potential fires in their earliest stages, significantly reducing response times. Equally, this technology is currently used for improving maritime surveillance.

It’s a sector that carries weight, but in today’s world, its importance is undeniable. “Europe is not up to speed with the modern age of AI, drones, and autonomous defence systems,” says Dimitrios. “There’s a lot of potential in this field. Of course, there’s always a moral dilemma with these technologies, I understand that. But the philosophical discussion around using a knife, i.e., either as a weapon or a kitchen tool, is totally irrelevant if you don’t know how to make knives.”

Currently, Delian has a double-digit number of systems in operation, with a plan for nation-wide installations, both for wildfire detection and coastal monitoring, in the coming year. Their flagship product, the LAST Autonomous Surveillance Tower, uses AI to continuously monitor areas, detecting potential threats such as unauthorised intrusions, suspicious vessels, or environmental dangers like wildfires and instantly alerting authorities, helping to prevent disasters or security breaches. The goal is to expand in a wide portfolio of platforms around border security and coastal monitoring.

Dimitrios started his career in Silicon Valley. “Silicon Valley is the best place to be if you’re an engineer like me. It’s the equivalent of Athens in the classical era.

But I knew I wasn’t the only European engineer who missed Europe and I also began to worry about its reluctance to invest in modern technologies,” he says. Yet before he could build a team of like-minded individuals from the Greek and European diasporas in California, securing funding proved challenging.

“At first, I felt that the people I talked to expect a much more mature business and were wary of the long sales cycle.” Fortunately, Dimitrios found an exception. Marathon Venture Capital, a venture capital firm backed by the EIF, invested in Delian early on. With contracts secured in Greece, the company’s next steps are to raise another funding round and expand beyond the Mediterranean. European defence has become a key political priority – driven by necessity rather than choice. The EIF remains committed to supporting European SMEs like Delian Alliance Industries, whose dual-use technologies are key to a more resilient and prepared European Union.