What C&V Defence does

C&V Defence is a Brussels-headquartered Belgian consulting SME founded in 2020 that advises companies and institutional clients on strategy, competitiveness, economic intelligence and lobbying across EU and NATO defence markets. Its service portfolio comprises four core offerings - Vision and Strategic Plan (five-year growth and market-entry roadmaps), Competitiveness of Offers (consortium development and proposal positioning for European contracts and subsidies), Economic Intelligence and Anticipation (monitoring of EU policy, regulatory and investment signals) and Lobbying and Communications (targeted influence campaigns towards EU decision-makers) - plus a specialised European Defence Fund (EDF) advisory module focused on proposal drafting, consortium coordination and ethics integration. The firm's differentiation rests on ethical and end-user integration in defence innovation projects, positioning ethics as a prerequisite for public funding eligibility.

The business is built around a small core team of co-founders Jean-Marc Vesco (former French Army colonel, CEO) and Benoît Chaucheprat (20-year Brussels public affairs practitioner, CSO), supported by deputy directors, project managers and project officers with backgrounds at the French Army, Italian Navy, UN Department of Peace Operations, IAEA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NATO Civil-Military Cooperation Centre of Excellence, the European External Action Service, the Council of the EU, and Sciences Po / College of Europe. C&V has become the most represented Belgian SME in the European Defence Fund, participating in five EDF projects to date: FACT (cyber-physical test range, €26.9M, 2022, coordinated by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace), CBRN SoS (2022, coordinated by AIT), FMBTech (Main Battle Tank modernisation, €19M, 2023, coordinated by Thales SIX GTS France), VANTAGE (tactical drone platform, €10.09M, 2024, coordinated by LMT) and COMMANDS (final demonstration hosted by GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas). The firm operates from Rue d'Arlon in the Brussels European district with a secondary office in Toulouse, France.

Revenue is generated through bespoke professional services fees for advisory, project coordination and representation work; no pricing is publicly disclosed and no equity funding rounds have been raised. Distribution is direct-to-client enterprise consulting, supplemented by LinkedIn, publications, and participation in EDF workshops, high-level events and conferences with Ministries of Defence and institutional stakeholders. The firm co-sponsors the Benoît Royal Prize with Euro-ISME, awarded in 2026 to Prof. Dr. Tine Molendijk for contributions to defence and military ethics, reinforcing its ethical positioning within the European defence ecosystem.

Name

C&V Defence

Legal name

C&V Defence

Website

https://cnv-defence.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

C&V Defence is a Brussels-based Belgian SME consulting firm founded in 2020 that advises defence industry clients and EU/NATO institutions on strategy, competitiveness, economic intelligence, lobbying, and European Defence Fund proposal support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defence Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense R&D, Test, Evaluation & Innovation (BPAIAHAC)

Keywords

• Defence consulting services
• Strategic advisory services
• EU defence markets
• NATO affairs consulting
• European Defence Fund advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: C&V Defence provides consulting services including strategic plan development, competitiveness support, economic intelligence, and lobbying services to companies operating in or seeking to enter EU and NATO defence markets. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for advisory, project coordination, and representation services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

C&V Defence is a Brussels-based consulting firm that advises companies operating in or entering the EU and NATO defence markets. The firm builds five-year growth strategies, designs competitive proposals and consortium structures, monitors political and regulatory developments, and conducts targeted lobbying and communication campaigns, with dedicated support for European Defence Fund project preparation and ethics integration.

Product overview

C&V Defence is a consulting firm offering advisory services for EU and NATO defence markets, organized as a unified consulting offering rather than a software platform. The core portfolio consists of four interconnected consulting services: Vision and Strategic Plan (five-year growth strategy development), Competitiveness of Offers (proposal design and consortium coordination), Economic Intelligence and Anticipation (strategic monitoring of political and regulatory developments), and Lobbying and Communications (targeted influence campaigns). These services are complemented by specialized support for European Defence Fund projects, helping clients navigate the complex European and transatlantic defence landscape. The firm emphasizes ethical and sustainable innovation as a differentiating factor across all its advisory services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vision and Strategic Plan Strategic consulting service that helps clients develop five-year growth strategies for EU and NATO defence markets, including positioning audits, business plans, roadmaps, and the design of associated lobbying and communication strategies.
• Competitiveness of Offers Consulting service that helps clients design competitive proposals and capture opportunities for contracts, subsidies, or synergies at the European level, including stakeholder mapping, consortium design and coordination, mediation actions, and integration of ethical councils and end-users.
• Economic Intelligence and Anticipation Strategic monitoring service that scans and anticipates political decisions, investment orientations, and regulatory developments affecting client activities in defence markets, including tracking of EU institutions, parliamentary work, civil society, NGOs, think tanks, and private groupings in Brussels.
• Lobbying and Communications Tailored lobbying and communication actions that influence decision-making processes and promote client activities among civil and military decision-makers and the press across EU and NATO defence ecosystems, including meetings with influence relays and high-value-added communication campaigns.
• European Defence Fund Advisory Expert support for European Defence Fund projects covering proposal drafting, consortium coordination, and project implementation with a focus on sustainable and ethical defence innovation, drawing on C&V Defence's participation in EDF projects including FACT, CBRN SoS, FMBTech, VANTAGE, and COMMANDS.

Quantifiable outcome

• Most represented Belgian SME in the European Defence Fund

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Latvijas Mobilais Telefons (LMT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024C&V Defence participates as a consortium partner in the VANTAGE project coordinated by Latvijas Mobilais Telefons (LMT). VANTAGE aims to develop a modular, interoperable, and scalable European tactical drone platform with a budget of €10.09 million under the EDF 2024 edition.
• Thales SIX GTS FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023C&V Defence participates as a consortium partner in the FMBTech project coordinated by Thales SIX GTS France. FMBTech focuses on revolutionising Main Battle Tanks for modern hybrid warfare with a budget of €19 million under the EDF 2023 edition. The consortium brings together 26 companies from 13 EU Member States and Norway.
• Kongsberg Defence & AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022C&V Defence participates as a consortium partner in the FACT (Federated Advanced Cyber-Physical Test Range) project coordinated by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace. FACT is funded by the European Defence Fund (€26.9 million over 3 years) and is one of 41 projects selected from 134 proposals in the 2022 EDF call. The project advances cybersecurity innovation for the European defence ecosystem through cyber-physical testing and verification capabilities.
• Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022C&V Defence participates as a consortium partner in the CBRN SoS (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear System of Systems) project coordinated by AIT. The project, funded by the European Defence Fund, develops a federated and modular information system integrating CBRN defence technologies across EU Member States and Norway.
• Euro-ISMEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022C&V Defence co-sponsors the Benoît Royal Prize with Euro-ISME (European Chapter of the International Society for Military Ethics). The prize honours individuals or organisations whose work has made significant contributions to defence and military ethics. The award was presented to Prof. Dr. Tine Molendijk in 2026.
• GDELS Santa Bárbara SistemasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerC&V Defence participated as a consortium partner in the COMMANDS project, which held its final demonstration in Seville hosted by GDELS Santa Bárbara Sistemas. The project demonstrated innovative defence capabilities including intelligent re-supply convoys, manned-unmanned teaming, and advanced C4I systems.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arthur D. Little: European-origin global consultancy with a dedicated Aerospace & Defence practice serving primes, ministries, and EU institutions on strategy, innovation, and transformation. Highly comparable strategic advisory scope to C&V Defence at a larger firm level.
• Bain & Company: Global strategy consultancy with aerospace, defence, and government services expertise supporting transformation, M&A, and operational strategy. Comparable to C&V Defence's five-year strategy and competitiveness work but with deeper bench and broader reach.
• Deloitte: Big 4 firm with a Government & Public Services practice and dedicated aerospace & defence industry group advising EU institutions, ministries, and primes. Overlaps with C&V Defence's EU public-affairs and strategy work but bundled with implementation and assurance services.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): Global management consultancy with public-sector and defence practices advising ministries, primes, and industrial clients. Provides strategy, organisation, and innovation advisory comparable to C&V Defence's offerings but at much larger scale.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consultancy with a public-sector and aerospace & defence practice serving governments and primes on strategy, organisation, and operations. Overlaps with C&V Defence's strategic advisory remit but at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• Roland Berger: European-headquartered global consultancy with aerospace, defence, and public-sector practices. Provides strategy and transformation advisory directly comparable to C&V Defence's offerings, particularly for European institutional clients.

Direct peers

• European Policy Centre: Brussels-based think tank working on EU policy including security and defence. Adjacent to C&V Defence's EU affairs, policy monitoring, and strategic advisory work with similar institutional access and client base.
• RAND Europe: Brussels-based research and analysis organisation conducting defence, security, and EU policy research for governments and institutions. Closely comparable to C&V Defence's evidence-based advisory, economic intelligence, and EU policy expertise.
• CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies): Brussels-based think tank producing policy analysis on EU security, defence, and industrial policy. Adjacent to C&V Defence's Brussels policy-monitoring and advisory work, with overlapping client base of EU institutions and industry.
• IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies): London-based defence and security think tank providing strategic analysis, advisory, and convening services to governments and industry. Comparable to C&V Defence's defence strategy and policy advisory mission, particularly on European and transatlantic security.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cnv-defence-eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about C&V Defence