German defence AI startup Helsing secures €450M at reported €4.9B valuation

Munich-based defence AI company Helsing has secured €450M in a Series C round of funding led by General Catalyst, with contributions from Elad Gil, Accel, Saab, Lightspeed, Plural, and Greenoaks.

Helsing, which develops AI software for use on the battlefield, mentions in a statement that this round is subject to government approval. According to Bloomberg, this round values the company at  €4.9B.

Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, MD and Head of Europe at General Catalyst, says, “Since its inception, we have been able to watch the Helsing team execute with a great sense of urgency to build AI-based defense capabilities for European democracies.”

“I have 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.”

Artificial Intelligence to serve democracies

Helsing was founded to protect democratic values and open societies, emphasising the importance of freedom of expression and identity. The company views preserving these freedoms as a civic duty for current and future generations. 

Recognising that modern defense challenges are primarily software-related, Helsing develops advanced architectures and AI algorithms to safeguard societies. 

By collaborating with governments and industry partners, Helsing enhances existing hardware capabilities and has earned the trust of several government contracts.

Since its founding in 2021, Helsing has been active in Ukraine and recently formed the Defence Manufacturers Alliance with the Ukrainian government. 

The company has also secured several government contracts, including upgrades to the German Eurofighter Electronic Warfare system, AI infrastructure for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), and various classified maritime and land contracts.

Capital utilisation

Helsing will use the funds to support product development and R&D, with a focus on enhancing European sovereignty and securing the NATO Eastern Flank.

In a joint statement, the company’s three founders Niklas Köhler, Torsten Reil and Gundbert Scherf, mention, “European security is at a crossroads and 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.”

Brief about the co-founders of Helsing

Helsing was co-founded by Dr. Gundbert Scherf, Niklas Köhler, and Torsten Reil. 

Dr. Gundbert Scherf, co-founder and co-CEO of Helsing, previously served as a partner at McKinsey & Company, focusing on aerospace, defense, and technology sectors. From 2014 to 2016, he was a special representative in the German Federal Ministry of Defence. Dr. Scherf has advanced academic credentials from the University of Cambridge (Marie Curie Fellow), Freie Universität Berlin, and Sciences Po Paris.

Niklas Köhler, co-founder and President of Helsing, leads tech and engineering. He holds a physics degree from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, has published AI research in top journals, and won a major machine learning competition with a $1M prize. He also co-founded and led an AI tech firm collaborating with leading defense companies.

Torsten Reil, co-founder and co-CEO of Helsing, is a former biologist who founded NaturalMotion, acquired by Zynga for $527M. A tech and biotech investor, he is part of MIT’s Top 100 Innovators and the Munich Security Conference Innovation Board. Reil holds a BA in Biological Sciences and a Masters in Artificial Intelligence from Oxford, where he also pursued a PhD as a Guy Newton scholar.