Mindflair (MFAI ) said portfolio company Vizgard has been selected for NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) 2026 cohort.
The AI drone company Vizgard was chosen from nearly 4000 submissions, highlighting DIANA’s competitiveness and its focus on shaping defence and security technology across NATO alliance nations.
Vizgard is building what it describes as the United Kingdom’s sovereign visual autonomy layer - an edge-to-cloud platform stack designed to help defence and security systems think, adapt and collaborate in real time. In addition, its edge-based visual autonomy software is intended to automate cameras and optical systems used to protect critical national assets, reducing the need for prolonged human monitoring by enabling AI-driven decision making.
The company already works with customers including the UK Ministry of Defence, the Home Office, HMGCC Co-Creation, British camera manufacturer Sesanti, and multiple national police departments.
As part of the DIANA 2026 cohort, Vizgard will receive €100,000 of non-dilutive funding and access to more than 180 NATO test centres. Furthermore, the programme includes technical and commercial mentorship and a streamlined procurement pathway across NATO alliance nations.
Mindflair’s Director Nicholas Lee said: “Vizgard's selection for NATO's DIANA programme is a strong endorsement of its technology and strategic relevance within defence and security markets.”
“It clearly supports our conviction of Vizgard's long-term growth potential.”
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For Mindflair, this is a credible external validation for a portfolio company already working with high-profile UK defence and security customers. Going forward, DIANA’s test network, mentorship and procurement access could help Vizgard shorten development cycles and widen its addressable market across NATO countries.