What had already been indicated two months ago has now been confirmed: Munich-based defence tech company Helsing has completed a Series E funding round of 1.6 billion euros (1.8 billion dollars). The company is now valued at 16 billion euros (18 billion dollars). This makes Helsing not only the most valuable German startup, but also more valuable than any other defence startup in Europe.
The funding round includes participation from new and existing investors, including Dragoneer Investment Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Disruptive, Iconiq, Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, JPMorganChase, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), General Catalyst, Plural, and Stepstone. According to the company, investor demand significantly exceeded the available volume of the round.
Munich Startup had already reported on corresponding insider reports in May and assessed the potential signalling effect of the financing for Germany’s startup location.
Capital flows into AI platforms
Founded in 2021, the company develops AI-powered software for defence systems. In addition to drones, Helsing is working on underwater reconnaissance drones as well as an unmanned combat jet, which is being developed in collaboration with aircraft manufacturer Grob Aircraft, which was acquired in 2025. The new funds are primarily intended to flow into the development of additional AI platforms and accelerate their integration into the defence capabilities of additional partner countries.
According to the company, Helsing remains majority European-owned despite the international investors. The board of directors also remains unchanged.
Helsing is already supplying Ukrainian armed forces with AI-powered drones and is continuously expanding its activities in the field of autonomous systems.
With the completed funding round, Helsing is now not only one of the highest-valued AI companies in Europe. The round is also one of the largest venture capital financings that a European startup has ever raised.
