Close Menu
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI
  • Apps
  • Crypto
  • Security
  • Startups
  • TechCrunch
  • Venture

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

What's Hot

One of Elon Musk's longtime VCS is suing his former employer after allegedly fired

May 8, 2025

Korean telephone giant SKT data breaches timeline

May 8, 2025

AppFigures: Apple earned more than $10 billion from its US App Store commission last year

May 8, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI

    OpenAI seeks to extend human lifespans with the help of longevity startups

    January 17, 2025

    Farewell to the $200 million woolly mammoth and TikTok

    January 17, 2025

    Nord Security founder launches Nexos.ai to help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production

    January 17, 2025

    Data proves it remains difficult for startups to raise capital, even though VCs invested $75 billion in the fourth quarter

    January 16, 2025

    Apple suspends AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

    January 16, 2025
  • Apps

    AppFigures: Apple earned more than $10 billion from its US App Store commission last year

    May 8, 2025

    Instagram thread gets video ads

    May 8, 2025

    Google deploys AI tools to protect Chrome users from fraud

    May 8, 2025

    Match to lay off 13% of staff

    May 8, 2025

    Apple tries to delay ruling that it will prohibit cutting payments for external apps

    May 8, 2025
  • Crypto

    Stripe unveils AI Foundation model for payments, revealing a “deeper partnership” with Nvidia

    May 7, 2025

    Movie Pass explores the daily fantasy platform of film buffs

    May 1, 2025

    Speaking on TechCrunch 2025: Application is open

    April 24, 2025

    Revolut, a $45 billion Neobank, recorded a profit of $1 billion in 2024

    April 24, 2025

    The new kids show will come with a crypto wallet when it debuts this fall

    April 18, 2025
  • Security

    Korean telephone giant SKT data breaches timeline

    May 8, 2025

    Powerschool paid the hacker ransom, but now the school says it's being forced

    May 8, 2025

    VC Company Insight Partners Review Personal Data Stolen During a January Hack

    May 8, 2025

    Crowdstrike says it will fire 500 workers

    May 7, 2025

    Ox Security lands fresh $60 million to scan code vulnerabilities

    May 7, 2025
  • Startups

    7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

    March 24, 2025

    AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

    March 24, 2025

    20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

    March 22, 2025

    Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

    March 21, 2025

    Startup Weekly: Wiz bets paid off at M&A Rich Week

    March 21, 2025
  • TechCrunch

    OpenSea takes a long-term view with a focus on UX despite NFT sales remaining low

    February 8, 2024

    AI will save software companies' growth dreams

    February 8, 2024

    B2B and B2C are not about who buys, but how you sell

    February 5, 2024

    It's time for venture capital to break away from fast fashion

    February 3, 2024

    a16z's Chris Dixon believes it's time to focus on blockchain use cases rather than speculation

    February 2, 2024
  • Venture

    One of Elon Musk's longtime VCS is suing his former employer after allegedly fired

    May 8, 2025

    Sequoia leads a $1.5 billion tender offer for sales automation startup clay

    May 8, 2025

    Bosch Ventures is turning attention to North America with a new $270 million fund

    May 8, 2025

    A comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs

    May 7, 2025

    Kapor Capital's managing partner Ulili Onovakpuri has left the company

    May 7, 2025
TechBrunchTechBrunch

Defense AI startup Helsing raises $487M Series C, plans Baltic expansion to counter Russian threat

TechBrunchBy TechBrunchJuly 11, 20244 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email


Defense AI startup Helsing has raised €450 million ($487 million) in a Series C funding round led by General Catalyst. The company now plans to expand into European countries that border Russia. The announcement comes as NATO holds its annual summit in Washington, D.C., where Russia's invasion of Ukraine is high on the agenda.

As part of the plan, Helsing will set up a new company in Estonia and spend €70 million on defense projects in the Baltic states over the next three years. The Germany-based company also has offices in Munich, London and Paris, and the new funding will be used to develop AI capabilities and expand its 300-person employee base.

Helsing develops AI software that processes information from defense systems, enhances the weapons capabilities of drones and fighter jets, and improves decision-making on the battlefield.

“Ukraine has used technology to defend against a full-scale Russian invasion, and I think that's been a big boost for us to be able to help there, to deploy technology and to execute on the mission that we set out three and a half years ago, which is to use AI to defend democracy,” Hellsing co-CEO Gundobert Scherf said in an interview with TechCrunch.

“We are a company founded on European values ​​and defending European interests and democracy. That's exactly what's happening right now in Ukraine,” he said of his expansion into Estonia. “Of course, the same is happening in the East, from Finland to the Baltic states to Poland. Estonia is also clearly a technology leader and the prime minister believes strongly in defending European democracy, so Estonia was a natural place to start.”

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in a statement that Helsing's arrival was a “very welcome” move for the country and that “deeds are needed, not just words.”

“Russia is increasing its defense budget to 7 percent of GDP and it's clear that its goals are much broader than just Ukraine,” co-CEO Torsten Reil added. “We feel an urgency and responsibility to create a capability gap to create a deterrent and, if necessary, be able to defend Europe and NATO's eastern flank.”

Asked where Helsing gets the bulk of its AI computing, the company's co-CEO avoided answering specifics. Reil replied: “We use our own computing, of course. We use edge devices, so we always need local computing as well. A few weeks ago we also announced Project Centaur, which is creating AI for air combat based on reinforcement learning. This requires a lot of computing, so we're spending a lot of money right now on training and drilling our agents. Ultimately, they will be very capable in air combat. That's where we use scaled-up computing.”

However, Lyle said that while the company has some computing power, it also uses third parties, whom he could not name for “security reasons.”

Helsing said in a statement that it has signed contracts with Airbus SE and the German and Ukrainian defense ministries, including the German Eurofighter electronic warfare upgrade (with strategic investor and committed partner Saab AB), AI infrastructure for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) (with consortium HIS), and a number of classified contracts in the maritime and land domains.

The funding could theoretically value the company at around 4.95 billion euros ($5.4 billion), sources told Bloomberg, though the company declined to comment on valuation.

The startup is tapping into an increasingly popular field for startups as defense technology surges up the agenda for Western investors concerned about Russia's war posture and the potential threat from China. Silicon Valley has invested roughly $35 billion in defense tech startups in 2023, and more than $9 billion so far this year, according to a report released by PitchBook last week.

At the same time, defense budgets in Western countries are increasing, creating opportunities for founders and investors in the sector.

But while Anduril Industries may be the U.S. equivalent of Helsing, few other European defense startups have been able to reach Helsing's scale, in part because European government defense spending still lags behind that of the United States.

The new funding brings Hellsing's total funding to 769 million euros to date from investors including Spotify founder Prima Materia (a fund set up by Spotify founder Daniel Ek) and Swedish defense supplier Saab AB. The latest round also saw participation from Accel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Plural, GreenOaks Capital Management and Silicon Valley investor Elad Gil.

“We are confident that Hellsing is on a path to becoming a global category leader, and with the battlefield unfolding in Europe for the first time in decades, we believe the role of companies like Hellsing is more important than ever,” Jeannette zu Furstenberg, General Catalyst's managing director and head of Europe, said in a statement.



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

OpenAI seeks to extend human lifespans with the help of longevity startups

January 17, 2025

Farewell to the $200 million woolly mammoth and TikTok

January 17, 2025

Nord Security founder launches Nexos.ai to help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production

January 17, 2025

Data proves it remains difficult for startups to raise capital, even though VCs invested $75 billion in the fourth quarter

January 16, 2025

Apple suspends AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

January 16, 2025

Nvidia releases more tools and guardrails to help enterprises adopt AI agents

January 16, 2025

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Reviews
Editors Picks

7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

March 24, 2025

AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

March 24, 2025

20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

March 22, 2025

Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

March 21, 2025
About Us
About Us

Welcome to Tech Brunch, your go-to destination for cutting-edge insights, news, and analysis in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cryptocurrency, Technology, and Startups. At Tech Brunch, we are passionate about exploring the latest trends, innovations, and developments shaping the future of these dynamic industries.

Our Picks

One of Elon Musk's longtime VCS is suing his former employer after allegedly fired

May 8, 2025

Korean telephone giant SKT data breaches timeline

May 8, 2025

AppFigures: Apple earned more than $10 billion from its US App Store commission last year

May 8, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

© 2025 TechBrunch. Designed by TechBrunch.
  • Home
  • About Tech Brunch
  • Advertise with Tech Brunch
  • Contact us
  • DMCA Notice
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.