Helsing

Explainers

Plain-language answers to the questions people ask about Helsing, from DEPLOY’s explainer library. Each is written in the language of the question and cross-checked against this registry.

• What is an autonomous drone?

  An autonomous drone is an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) whose flight is directed by onboard AI + autonomy stack rather than continuous human remote-piloting. Per DEPLOY's framework, the cohort splits across three classes with distinct verification anchors: new-defense (Anduril Roadrunner/Fury/Ghost/Bolt + Helsing HX-2/HF-1 + Shield AI V-BAT + Quantum Systems + Neros); legacy-prime (General Atomics MQ-9 lifecycle); commercial-civilian (Skydio + Zipline + Wing + Matternet + Brinc + Wingcopter + XAG + Percepto + Flytrex). Gating events split by class: BVLOS regulatory clearance for commercial; DoD contracts + fielded systems for defense. Editorial discipline: remotely-piloted-vs-autonomous honesty matters; MQ-9 + TB2 + Neros Archer are recorded as remotely-piloted, not autonomous. The framework resists 'drone = AI' inflation.

Current leadership (6)

• Gundbert Scherf Co-founder & co-CEOsecondary-verified
• Torsten Reil Co-founder & co-CEOsecondary-verified
• Niklas Koehler Co-foundersecondary-verified
• Antoine Bordes Chief ScientistIR-verified
• Robert Fink Chief Technology OfficerIR-verified
• Anita Szarek Chief Financial OfficerIR-verified

Founders (3)

• Gundbert Scherfcofounderfounded 2021-01-01
• Torsten Reilcofounderfounded 2021-01-01
• Niklas Koehlercofounderfounded 2021-01-01

Board (2)

• Daniel Ek chair
• Jeannette zu Fuerstenberg director

Safety record

No incidents on record for Helsing.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Operator customers (1)

• Ukrainian Armed Forces1 deployment

Peer companies

• Anduril Industries7 models
• DJI7 models
• Amazon4 models
• Autel Robotics4 models
• Teledyne FLIR4 models
• AeroVironment3 models

Financial state

Reporting basis

private_reported

Lifecycle stage

growth

Counterparty risk class

low

Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Funding rounds (5)

• Series E2026-07-13

  $1.8B(reported) · $18.0B post

• Series D2025-06-17

  $650M(reported) · $13.0B post

  Investors: Prima Materia (Daniel Ek) (lead), Lightspeed Venture Partners, Accel, General Catalyst, Saab (strategic)

• Series C2024-07-11

  $487M(reported) · $5.0B post

  Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Accel, Saab (strategic), Lightspeed Venture Partners

• Series B2023-09-01

  $226M(reported)

  Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Saab (strategic)

• Series A2021-11-01

  $111M(reported)

  Investors: Prima Materia (Daniel Ek) (lead)

Sources (3)

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsing_(company) ↗
2. https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/13/germanys-helsing-doubles-down-on-drones-for-ukraine-scales-up-manufacturing/ ↗
3. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-to-produce-6000-additional-strike-drones-for-ukraine ↗

Common questions

What is Helsing?

Helsing is a European defense-AI company (founded 2021, Munich) that builds AI software (Altra, Centaur) and AI-strike drones (HX-2, HF-1). The HX-2 is a production-stage loitering munition with onboard AI for target acquisition, representing Europe's leading autonomous defense AI platform.

What does Helsing make?

Helsing has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: HX-2 (and HF-1) (Helsing builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).

Is Helsing publicly traded?

No. Helsing is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.

Who competes with Helsing?

On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Helsing building in the same form factors include Anduril Industries, DJI, Amazon, Autel Robotics.

Where is Helsing headquartered?

Helsing is headquartered in Munich, Germany.