The venture capital fund Presto Tech Horizons, founded by VC firm Presto Ventures and industrial technology group CSG, has joined US company Firehawk Aerospace as a strategic European investor. Firehawk focuses on 3D printing of solid rocket fuel and engines. The $60 million investment round was led by venture capital firm 1789 Capital, which is managed by Donald Trump Jr. and his partners.

Firehawk is an innovator in defense technologies specializing in advanced energy and propulsion systems. Presto Tech Horizons, as the sole European investor in this investment round, can now bring Firehawk's breakthrough technology closer to potential European users. The exact amount of Presto Tech Horizons' investment has not been disclosed, but it is a significant financial contribution to Firehawk's mission.

Firehawk is pioneering the world's first scalable use of 3D printing for the production of propellants and solid rocket motors. This enables faster, safer, and more flexible fuel production, as well as higher rocket motor efficiency. This technology has the potential to become a breakthrough innovation in both the space industry and the defense sector, as it can also be used for faster and more reliable production of artillery ammunition.

"The conflict in Ukraine shows that while drones give soldiers an undeniable advantage, ammunition such as rockets and missiles remain the foundation of combat capability," says Will Edwards, CEO of Firehawk Aerospace. "The supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link—and the production of propellants and energetic materials is currently the biggest constraint in the manufacture of missiles, rockets, and artillery ammunition. Enabling the European defense industry to produce these weapons quickly and in large quantities is Firehawk's primary mission. We are proud to be working with Presto Tech Horizons and CSG to strengthen the European supply chain for energy materials and ensure that our allies have the means to produce critical defense technology."

"The current geopolitical situation underscores the need to invest in innovative defense technologies," said Michal Strnad, Chairman of the Board and owner of CSG. "Firehawk can play a crucial role in the future of not only rocket propulsion but also ammunition production. This innovative project can strengthen cooperation between leaders in the American and European defense industries." The parties are already exploring opportunities for industrial applications of Firehawk technologies.

Scientists and engineers have been exploring the potential of 3D printing for faster, safer, and more flexible production of solid propellants for nearly fifteen years. Firehawk is the first to truly realize this vision. Their technology combines rapid manufacturing with complex solid fuel geometry, improving performance while enabling large-scale decentralized production. This not only speeds up fuel production, but also fundamentally changes the entire supply chain for missiles and rockets. That is why this partnership is so important for the resilience of European defense," adds Matej Luhový, a new partner at Presto Tech Horizons.

Matěj Luhový is one of the first members of the Presto Ventures team. Since 2025, he has been leading the investment team of the Presto Tech Horizons fund, where he is responsible for seeking out and developing the most interesting investment opportunities (known as deal flow) and ensuring that every startup in the portfolio undergoes thorough commercial due diligence.

Faster and safer rocket fuel production

Propellants for rocket engines—used in both the defense and space industries—are currently produced by casting into large molds and subsequent curing. This slow, dangerous, and inflexible process can take up to two months and limits both performance and production speed.

Firehawk replaces this decades-old method with additive manufacturing, using 3D printing to produce propellant grains with complex geometries that were previously considered impossible. By using relatively inexpensive commercial equipment and innovative manufacturing processes, the startup can reduce unit production time by more than 99% compared to traditional methods. This innovation enables safer production of solid rocket motors, faster scaling, and wider adaptation across different weapon systems, fundamentally changing the supply chain for energy materials and rocket systems.

Focus on Europe

The investment in Firehawk is also intended to strengthen Europe's ability to locally secure critical elements of the rocket and artillery ammunition supply chain, thereby increasing resilience and ensuring sustained defense readiness for NATO and allied forces.

The Presto Tech Horizons fund, based on a unique partnership between a venture capital firm and a major defense industry player, thus creates a bridge between innovation and industry. This combination accelerates the introduction of breakthrough technologies, such as those offered by Firehawk, and represents a new model for rapidly deploying innovative technologies on a large scale to the industrial and defense sectors of allies.

A $60 million Series C investment round was completed in September this year. It was led by 1789 Capital, backed by influential partners including Donald Trump Jr. – a move that saw them enter the defense technology space and support Firehawk's transition from research, development, and prototyping to scalable manufacturing. Other investors in this round include Draper Associates, Decisive Point, Stellar Ventures, and other leading venture capital firms.