Helsing, a defense tech startup, raised $487M and announced its plans to expand to the Baltic region
Germany-based defense AI startup Helsing has raised €450 million in a Series C funding round led by General Catalyst, which it plans to use for product development, R&D, and expansion into the Baltic region, highlighting its mission to enhance European defense capabilities through AI technology.
Helsing, a Germany-based defense tech startup that develops AI-based software in partnership with governments and industry representatives to enhance existing hardware, recently announced it has secured €450 million ($487 million) in a Series C funding round led by General Catalyst. Elad Gil, Accel, Saab, Lightspeed, Plural, and Greenoaks were all backers in the investment round, which the startup announced will be used in product development and R&D operations.
The Series C closely follows Helsing's plans to expand its presence in the Baltic region as part of its commitment to supporting defense and deterrence in the NATO’s Eastern Flank. To this end, Helsing has established a new entity in Estonia and committed to fulfilling a three-year €70 million investment to boost the Baltic defense industry.
Helsing's co-founders Niklas Köhler, Torsten Reil and Gundbert Scherf highlighted in a joint statement the time-critical nature of their mission, which is to give European society the capabilities to defend its democracies leveraging the power of AI. Helsing operates in Ukraine since 2022, and established the Defence Manufacturers Alliance initiative jointly with the Ukrainian government. Additionally, Helsing has secured an undisclosed numbers of government contracts in Germany, including the German Eurofighter Electronic Warfare upgrade (with Saab AB), and providing the AI infrastructure for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS, with consortium HIS).
