Leadership

Fabian Becker is an entrepreneur, technology executive and CEO of VANEA. He has built his career at the intersection of technology, capital and industrial transformation, turning ambitious technological visions into scalable businesses. At VANEA, Fabian leads the mission to build a new generation of sovereign European defence technology, bringing together engineering, capital and industrial execution to move autonomous systems from technological breakthrough to deployment at unprecedented speed.

Fabian graduated with distinction from Leuphana University of Lueneburg, ranking among the top three percent of his cohort. His background combines finance, entrepreneurship and technology with hands-on experience in building organisations and scaling emerging technologies. Before joining VANEA, Fabian spent nearly five years as CFO of a publicly listed European AI and robotics company, helping build the business from its earliest stage into an international technology company. He played a central role in financing, corporate development, industrialisation and strategic expansion.

Stephanie Schettler-Köhler is an experienced executive and COO of VANEA. She has built her career around transforming complex organisations and ambitious projects into disciplined, scalable operations. At VANEA, Stephanie is responsible for translating technological ambition into operational execution. Her focus is on building the organisation and infrastructure required to industrialise and scale autonomous defence systems — moving from development to production and deployment with speed, precision and reliability.

Before joining VANEA, Stephanie spent more than a decade in senior operational and executive roles, ultimately serving on the Management Board and as sole executive director of a publicly listed European company. Her responsibilities spanned operations, finance, legal, human resources and the execution of complex international projects. With a technology-focused academic background and extensive executive experience, Stephanie combines hands-on operational leadership with a strong track record in building teams, structures and processes in fast-moving environments.

Dr. Oliver Hartkorn is a physicist, deep-tech strategist and Founder of VANEA. He studied physics and geophysics in Mainz, Tokyo and Cologne, including research at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, before earning his PhD from the University of Cologne. His research focused on space plasma physics, planetary atmospheres and the interaction of complex physical systems with extreme environments, with work published in leading international journals.

At VANEA, Oliver combines physics, engineering, intellectual property and company building to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities for the age of autonomous warfare. His focus is on turning frontier technology into sovereign, scalable systems built for rapid production, deployment and continuous improvement. Before founding VANEA, Oliver built a career at the intersection of advanced technology, intellectual property and industrial innovation. As a German and European Patent Attorney and Partner at a leading intellectual property firm, he advised technology companies across autonomous systems, software, electronics, optics, mechanical engineering and space technology.