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sbctv – Sthenos AI: The Greek startup bringing artificial intelligence to “smart defence”
Sthenos AI, a new company within the EFA Group, aims to fill the gap in the Greek defence industry in next-generation command and control systems by building domestic expertise in artificial intelligence. With a small but highly specialised team, strategic partnerships and an export orientation, 2026 is described as a “turning point” for the company.
Date
14.02.2026
Outlet
sbctv
Featuring
Markos Hatziminas · Georgios Gkekas
Sthenos AI was founded in 2025 as an independent artificial intelligence company within the EFA Group, with a clear mission:
To serve as the technological backbone (AI backbone) for the transition of traditional Command and Control (C2) systems to next-generation C6ISR architectures. At a time when defence worldwide is looking for ways to integrate artificial intelligence safely and with operational value, the company aims to fill a structural gap in the Greek defence ecosystem.
From support tool to strategic pillar of the group
As Sthenos AI CEO Markos Hatziminas explains, the company was not created to play a simple supporting role within the EFA Group, but as a “builder of artificial intelligence systems focused on defence”, with its own direction, speed and technical depth. A central choice of the model is keeping intellectual property, data and technical direction within Greece and within the group.
The main objective is the next generation of Command and Control systems, in close cooperation with Scytalys, also an EFA Group company. Sthenos AI develops solutions that support decision-making without replacing the human, accelerating the “observe – analyse – decide” cycle with greater clarity and more options for the operator. At the same time, it provides AI solutions to other companies in the group, scaling its production capacity either through internal growth or with external technical support.
Filling a gap in the Greek defence industry
Hatziminas stresses that the gap he identified does not concern the global market, but specifically the Greek defence ecosystem: apart from Scytalys, there were no substantial domestic players in Command and Control systems, nor an artificial intelligence company aiming to upgrade them. At the same time, most Greek defence spending was directed – and to a large extent still is – to international groups, resulting in a loss of know-how and limited domestic added value.
In this environment, Sthenos AI seeks to act as a “repatriation channel” for Greek technology talent, attracting highly qualified engineers who would otherwise move to markets with lower taxation and greater opportunities for advancement. The company’s narrative explicitly links artificial intelligence to the country’s strategic autonomy and the strengthening of the domestic defence base.
Solutions portfolio, team and strategic partnerships
Chief Technology Officer Georgios Gkekas describes a holistic approach to integrating new technologies into defence: from communications between units and operations centres and mission planning, to unit training and optimisation of the military supply chain. Particular emphasis is placed on Computer Vision, with a dedicated team developing “electronic eyes” for points where the human factor tires or cannot keep up with the volume of information.
Today Sthenos AI employs 18 people, 75% of whom belong to the technology team, with a target of 22 in the first wave of growth within 2026. The team’s composition – from polytechnic schools and the natural sciences – allows it to cover the full spectrum, from machine learning and data science to infrastructure design. At ecosystem level, the company has already announced strategic partnerships with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Infinitum, and states that new agreements will be made public only when they offer clear commercial and technological benefit.
Export focus, quantum technology and the 2026 bet
Following the line of the group, which is 70–80% export-oriented, Sthenos AI plans a clear export orientation, with its solutions targeting the international market from the outset. However, management insists on a Greek footprint: the goal is not simply sales, but strengthening the Greek technological and defence base and creating know-how that stays in the country.
Beyond artificial intelligence, the company has begun systematically researching quantum technology, with a specialist working alongside the machine learning team. It focuses in particular on quantum sensing for space defence applications and on quantum cryptography, at a time when governments are already storing vast volumes of data in anticipation of future quantum decryption.
Management describes 2026 as a “turning point”, as work began in January on two new, critical products. A key element of the strategy is the collaborative model with customers, away from the “contracting authority – contractor” logic. Sthenos AI believes that only co-design and co-implementation of solutions with end users can enable the successful integration of technologies as complex as artificial intelligence into the highly sensitive field of defence.
SBCTV commentary
Sthenos AI is a characteristic example of how a small, specialised company can act as a catalyst for technological upgrading in a traditionally closed sector such as defence. If it manages to turn artificial intelligence from a buzzword into measurable operational value, while keeping intellectual property in Greece, it will have contributed not only to the EFA Group but also to the country’s strategic autonomy.