Helsing has been expanding in Europe, working with governments and providing AI-enabled electronic warfare capabilities for the Eurofighter jet fighter. It also won a contract to provide the AI backbone for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program. The company has been active in Ukraine since 2022. Co-founders Torsten Reil and Gundbert Scherf believe that AI is essential for democracies to defend their values, a belief they say is shared by governments and industry.
Key takeaways:
- Helsing, a Defense AI startup, has raised €209 million ($223 million) in a Series B funding round led by General Catalyst, with Saab joining as a strategic investor.
- The investment could potentially make Helsing the largest European AI company and the largest European defense tech unicorn, with a post-money valuation of over €1.7 billion.
- Helsing has expanded in Europe by working closely with governments, providing AI-enabled electronic warfare capabilities for the Eurofighter jet fighter and the AI backbone for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
- Spotify founder Daniel Ek, through his investment company Prima Materia, has previously backed Helsing with €100 million as part of his pledge to fund deep tech “moonshot projects”.