EP 93: Building Europe’s Palantir: How Max Buchan Raised $20M to Launch Valarian

Europe’s next defense-tech giant is being built in London. Subscribe & get our free investor/buyer list at thunder.vcHow Max Buchan helped take CoinShares from $0 to $50M revenue to $1.5B IPO —without VC money.The insider story behind founding Valarian, the UK’s answer to Palantir.Raising $20M in seed funding to build dual-use infrastructure for governments and enterprises.The shift from crypto to defense tech and why “digital sovereignty” is the next trillion-dollar opportunity.How Valarian attracted elite talent from Palantir, Darktrace, and top U.S. defense innovators.Lessons for founders raising capital in deep tech and dual-use markets.—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Raising capital?Get a list of vetted VCs for FREE here: https://web.thunder.vc/list-of-investors-vcs-for-founders?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Episode93&utm_id=%24100M++ExitsGet the latest fundraising insights, news, and tips:https://blog.thunder.vc/funding-101?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Episode93&utm_id=%24100M++ExitsHere’s what you’re in for:00:00 – How CoinShares hit $50M revenue with no VC03:30 – The problem that sparked Valarian: cross-border data control06:00 – Pivoting from secure messaging to compliance infrastructure08:30 – Raising $11M pre-product and landing IQ Capital & Molten Ventures10:20 – Expanding to $20M total seed and U.S. strategic backers13:40 – How defense tech funding evolved post-Ukraine16:00 – Defining product-market fit for dual-use infrastructure18:00 – Recruiting Palantir and Darktrace execs to Valarian23:30 – Why the UK talent system lags behind the U.S.32:00 – Operating in stealth: why Valarian waited to go public35:30 – The hardware Pelican Case: Valarian’s deployable defense tech37:00 – Consolidation and M&A in Europe’s defense tech ecosystem39:00 – Advice for founders building category-defining companies----------------------------------------------------ABOUT MAX BUCHANMax Buchan is the Founder and CEO of Valerian, a company building next-generation digital infrastructure to solve global data sovereignty challenges.Before launching Valerian, Max was the first employee at CoinShares, where he worked directly with the co-founder and CEO. In just 18 months, CoinShares grew from an idea to over $55 million in revenue and nearly $2 billion in assets under management, expanding to almost 200 employees and later going public on the Nasdaq with a $1B+ valuation.His experience scaling CoinShares across London, New York, Paris, Stockholm, and Jersey revealed a growing problem—how international companies manage data across borders. That insight inspired him to start Valerian, focused on digital sovereignty and secure global infrastructure.Max holds a degree in History and Economics from the University of London and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list for Technology.You can reach out to Max through:Website: https://www.valarian.com/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maxbuchanABOUT JASONJason Kirby is the Managing Partner at Thunder.VC and host of $100M Exits. He’s helped thousands of founders navigate capital raises, M&A, and exits, with a focus on tactical, data-backed strategies.You can reach out to Jason through:Email: [email protected]: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrkirby/