atTRACTION Success story – Broswarm: technology that saves lives beneath the surface

A Lithuanian startup providing safer, faster mine detection with drone-mounted underground imaging is attracting growing global investor recognition

Landmines remain one of the world’s most severe hidden threats, with Ukraine alone facing contamination of 139,000–174,000 km² of land — nearly one-third of its territory. This creates constant risk for civilians and turns demining into a multi-decade, multi-billion-euro challenge. Broswarm, a Lithuanian deep-tech startup, is developing advanced drone-mounted solutions that enable safer and more efficient demining operations. Through the atTRACTION project, the company strengthened its investment readiness, increased international visibility, and established new contacts with global investors. Its novel sensor delivers best-in-class underground imaging, including the world’s first drone-based detection of plastic landmines. Fully autonomous and significantly faster than traditional methods, the technology has earned international recognition, including winning the NATO Innovation Challenge, and attracting €800,000 in investment from ScaleWolf.

For deep-tech startups from less-connected European regions, access to international investors remains a significant barrier — one that atTRACTION aims to address. Broswarm participated actively in the project and benefited from targeted support ranging from mentorship to investor matchmaking.

In November 2024, Broswarm was selected as one of seven startups to pitch at the Sophia Business Angels International Venture Academy in France. The team received personalised coaching, expert feedback, and direct exposure to international investors, ultimately ranking among the top three most investable startups. As CEO Ernestas Žvaigždinas noted:
“atTRACTION opened doors that would have been difficult to access otherwise, especially for a startup from a smaller ecosystem like Lithuania. Presenting our solution in an international setting and receiving such strong recognition was a major milestone for BROSWARM.”

 

Broswarm later joined the project’s dual-use and defence e-pitch session, receiving introduction requests from Ilavska Venture Capital, Novanexia, and Futuro Perfecto. The company, founded in 2023 by Ernestas Žvaigždinas, Karolis Žvaigždinas, and Mindaugas Talaikis, has been active in the defence and security innovation ecosystem since its early days, earning awards at the Ugninis skydas cyber defence hackathon and winning first place in the 2024 NATO Innovation Challenge.

Its core product, xSAR — the world’s lightest synthetic aperture radar with ground-penetrating capabilities — can generate high-quality radio-wave images of subsurface objects from up to two metres above ground and detect buried items at depths of up to 0.5 metres. Unlike traditional detectors that operate close to the ground and often produce false alarms, xSAR provides clearer, more reliable imaging and more accurate decision-making for demining teams.

Broswarm’s recognition continues to grow. In 2025, the startup was included among Europe’s leading tough-tech companies in the Tough Tech by the Tough Ten report, won first place at the Deep Tech CEE Summit & Challenge, received the Recognition of the Year award from the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association, and was acknowledged at the German-Baltic Business Award 2025.

The €800,000 investment from ScaleWolf is being used to advance technology development and prepare xSAR for market deployment. With EU funding enabling access to cross-border investor networks, Broswarm has strengthened its team by hiring a globally recognised physicist and has signed a cooperation agreement with the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence to jointly advance demining technology. The company is accelerating R&D, refining and patenting the xSAR technology, and conducting additional field tests with the goal of delivering a field-ready prototype capable of large-scale deployment.

Through participation in the atTRACTION project, Broswarm strengthened its international visibility, improved its investment readiness, and built valuable connections with investors and experts — supporting the company’s continued growth and mission to deliver safer, faster, and more effective demining solutions.