Estonian startup Wayren has raised 7.9 million euros from
EFA Group
to create an innovative communications system for future soldiers
Wayren was founded five years ago by three former Estonian cyber soldiers, but full-scale development activities began in 2022, when the company received development support from the Ministry of Defense.
Specifically, Wayren signed a strategic investment agreement with EFA Group, a multinational company with Greek roots. The goal is to jointly develop a new generation of high-tech digital battlefield systems that connect soldiers, drones, vehicles and weapons into a comprehensive situational awareness solution.
“Today’s battlefield has become a complex and dynamic environment, where individual equipment and training alone are not enough. To gain a decisive advantage over the enemy, it is essential to digitize the battlefield, which allows for the collection, processing and sharing of data in real time. This significantly speeds up decision-making processes,” said Henry Härm, CEO and co-founder of Wayren.
Until now, most tactical communications systems have failed in difficult situations, he said, because they are not reliable enough to function in the “last mile” environment. “The systems developed by Wayren are designed to work even when nothing else works,” Härm confirmed.
Wayren’s Singularity communications platform enables soldiers, headquarters and multiple platforms to communicate in complex battlefield environments. The company’s patented system creates a robust hybrid mesh network to connect units, vehicles or command posts, synchronizing data in parallel across a variety of civil and military technologies currently available, such as mobile, satellite or radio.
Scytalys, part of the EFA Group, plays a central role in the new contract. The company provides advanced, modular and interoperable combat management systems designed to solve complex multi-domain challenges for armed forces.
According to George Menexis, CEO of Scytalys, this collaboration sets a new standard for flexible multi-domain operational capabilities. “Our proven mission information and control system platform, combined with Wayren’s innovation in resilient frontline communications, brings next-generation connectivity and coordination capabilities to today’s network-centric operations. A common situational picture remains constantly synchronized across the entire combined force, based on a robust communications architecture that maintains operational continuity even in degraded environments,” explained Menexis.
The Wayren platform is the backbone of the modern battlefield needs – from sensors, to AI-based analytics and situational awareness systems. The solution ensures that critical data reaches the destination even in heavily disrupted, low-bandwidth or insecure network environments.
The system is currently being delivered as a pilot project to the Defence Union and is being actively tested by the Estonian Defence Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “Close cooperation with the Defence Forces has allowed us to significantly increase the ease of use and reliability of the system in real combat conditions,” said Henry Härm.
“Their valuable feedback, combined with the results of our extensive testing, gives us confidence that the product is ready for full-scale deliveries and public procurement. Estonia and Ukraine are our first key customers,” Härm noted.
Wayren was founded five years ago by three former cyber soldiers: Henry Härm, Oliver Tiit and Tarmo Aia. In addition to the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the startup has also received development support from the European Defence Fund. Last year, 725,000 euros of private investor funds were raised for the development and testing of a pilot project. This investment was led by BSV Ventures and participated by DEPO Ventures and several angel investors, including Taavi Veskimägi, Chairman of the Council of the Estonian Defence Industry Association.
Wayren was also recently selected for the NATO DIANA Estonian accelerator. EFA Group is an aviation, security, defence and industrial group headquartered in Athens. Scytalys is a defence industry company founded in Greece in 1993, part of EFA Group and specializing in the development of critical software and systems integration.
Specifically, Wayren signed a strategic investment agreement with EFA Group, a multinational company with Greek roots. The goal is to jointly develop a new generation of high-tech digital battlefield systems that connect soldiers, drones, vehicles and weapons into a comprehensive situational awareness solution.
“Today’s battlefield has become a complex and dynamic environment, where individual equipment and training alone are not enough. To gain a decisive advantage over the enemy, it is essential to digitize the battlefield, which allows for the collection, processing and sharing of data in real time. This significantly speeds up decision-making processes,” said Henry Härm, CEO and co-founder of Wayren.
Until now, most tactical communications systems have failed in difficult situations, he said, because they are not reliable enough to function in the “last mile” environment. “The systems developed by Wayren are designed to work even when nothing else works,” Härm confirmed.
Wayren’s Singularity communications platform enables soldiers, headquarters and multiple platforms to communicate in complex battlefield environments. The company’s patented system creates a robust hybrid mesh network to connect units, vehicles or command posts, synchronizing data in parallel across a variety of civil and military technologies currently available, such as mobile, satellite or radio.
Scytalys, part of the EFA Group, plays a central role in the new contract. The company provides advanced, modular and interoperable combat management systems designed to solve complex multi-domain challenges for armed forces.
According to George Menexis, CEO of Scytalys, this collaboration sets a new standard for flexible multi-domain operational capabilities. “Our proven mission information and control system platform, combined with Wayren’s innovation in resilient frontline communications, brings next-generation connectivity and coordination capabilities to today’s network-centric operations. A common situational picture remains constantly synchronized across the entire combined force, based on a robust communications architecture that maintains operational continuity even in degraded environments,” explained Menexis.
The Wayren platform is the backbone of the modern battlefield needs – from sensors, to AI-based analytics and situational awareness systems. The solution ensures that critical data reaches the destination even in heavily disrupted, low-bandwidth or insecure network environments.
The system is currently being delivered as a pilot project to the Defence Union and is being actively tested by the Estonian Defence Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “Close cooperation with the Defence Forces has allowed us to significantly increase the ease of use and reliability of the system in real combat conditions,” said Henry Härm.
“Their valuable feedback, combined with the results of our extensive testing, gives us confidence that the product is ready for full-scale deliveries and public procurement. Estonia and Ukraine are our first key customers,” Härm noted.
Wayren was founded five years ago by three former cyber soldiers: Henry Härm, Oliver Tiit and Tarmo Aia. In addition to the Estonian Ministry of Defence, the startup has also received development support from the European Defence Fund. Last year, 725,000 euros of private investor funds were raised for the development and testing of a pilot project. This investment was led by BSV Ventures and participated by DEPO Ventures and several angel investors, including Taavi Veskimägi, Chairman of the Council of the Estonian Defence Industry Association.
Wayren was also recently selected for the NATO DIANA Estonian accelerator. EFA Group is an aviation, security, defence and industrial group headquartered in Athens. Scytalys is a defence industry company founded in Greece in 1993, part of EFA Group and specializing in the development of critical software and systems integration.
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