Defence AI firm Helsing raises £378.7M to safeguard Europe

Defence artificial intelligence (AI) company, Helsing, has announced it has raised £378.7 million ($492 million) in a Series C financing to safeguard European sovereignty, particularly in protecting the NATO Eastern Flank.

In a joint statement, the company’s founders Niklas Köhler, Torsten Reil and Gundbert Scherf, said ‘European security is at a crossroads’.

“Helsing will play a significant role in giving democratic societies the ability to deter and defend. But speed is of the essence. This new funding round allows us to further up the tempo and invest in large-scale R&D and capabilities across all domains,” said the Founders.

Helsing has been active in Ukraine since 2022 and recently established the Defence Manufacturers Alliance, a joint initiative with the Ukrainian government.

Since its founding in 2021, the company has secured a series of government contracts, including the German Eurofighter Electronic Warfare upgrade, partnering with strategic investor Saab AB; the AI infrastructure for the Future Combat Air System, FCAS with consortium HIS; and a number of classified contracts in the maritime and land domain.

The funding was led by General Catalyst, with participation from Elad Gil, Accel, Saab, Lightspeed, Plural and Greenoaks and is subject to governmental approval.

MD and Head of Europe at General Catalyst, Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, said she has deep conviction that Helsing is on the ‘path to becoming a global category leader’. 

“As we witness battlefronts on European soil for the first time in decades, we believe the role of companies like Helsing has never been more critical,” said zu Fürstenberg.

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