Startup Europe — The Sifted Podcast Quantum Systems CEO Florian Seibel: ‘Having a dictator has advantages’
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Aug 21, 2025 Florian Seibel, CEO of Quantum Systems and a former German helicopter pilot, discusses the evolving landscape of military drones. He shares insights on the company's rapid growth and the impact of the Ukraine conflict on innovation. Seibel emphasizes the importance of long-term planning in defense tech, citing China as a model. He candidly critiques the influx of opportunistic investors and advocates for the need for transparency in political and defense decisions. His views on ethical practices in the industry spark a compelling dialogue on the future of unmanned technology.
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Hobby Project Turned Drone Company
- Quantum Systems began as a hobby project building RC model hybrids that combined helicopter and fixed-wing features.
- The founders developed the tech in basements and only later sought who might need the solution.
War Accelerated Product-Market Fit
- Quantum pivoted from agriculture to defense because real-world conflict created demand and accelerated R&D funding.
- Florian sees unmanned robotics as a core future tech category Europe must back to avoid falling behind China.
Unmanned Systems Are Universally Applicable
- Unmanned systems have broad civil and military uses from first-responder drones to infrastructure monitoring and precision agriculture.
- Quantum plans multi-domain expansion and a unified software suite, Mosaic, to manage diverse unmanned assets.