The verified answer
As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Helsing: 1 model, 2 deployments across 2 regions, $3.3B raised. 8 sources back the record.
CategoryDrones
Appears inMilitary & defense drones
Overview
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.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 2 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Valuation of record
DEPLOY VERIFIEDPriced roundSeries E post-money
Key facts
Data & sources
Press releases
1
News coverage
1
Patent documents
5
Web sources
1
8 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company Helsing has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1Germany Bundeswehr1× joint
Most recent
- with Germany Bundeswehroperating
Helsing on the deployment map
View the global map2 verified deployments across 2 regions, newest verified Feb 2026. Explore where Helsing's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full Helsing deployment record →
Relationships
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.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- Helsing2 deployments
Recent coverage
Helsing in third-party press
Peers
99 peers across 1 segment. Every Helsing competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
drone(99)
57 companies in this segment · moderately_concentrated (HHI 1809.2177305910177) · leader Anduril Industries at 3057%
- AEVEX Aerospacedirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- ATL Global Holding AGdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Aereodirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- AeroVironmentdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- AgXeeddirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- AirForestrydirect competitor(inferred)moderate
Financial state
- Total funding
- $3.3B
- 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.
Partnerships
1 total · 1 operating
Every company Helsing has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- with Germany Bundeswehroperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1Germany Bundeswehr1× joint
All 1 partnerships
open in the atlas →- Helsing x Germany Bundeswehr kamikaze drone contractwithGermany Bundeswehrdeployment2026-02-01operating
Funding rounds (5)
Helsing’s 5 disclosed rounds, $3.3B in total, oldest to newest.
- Series E2026-07-13
$1.8B(reported) · $18.0B post
Investors: Dragoneer Investment Group (lead), Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst, ICONIQ, Accel, Greenoaks Capital, Plural, Prima Materia (Daniel Ek), StepStone Group
- 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) · $1.8B post
Investors: General Catalyst (lead), Saab (strategic)
- Series A2021-11-01
$111M(reported) · $666M post
Investors: Prima Materia (Daniel Ek) (lead)
Patent estate (5)
- EP4307245A1epopendingassignee
- EP4538973A1epopendingassignee
- EP4538989A1epopendingassignee
- EP4528221A1epopendingassignee
- EP4618514A1epopendingassignee
Timeline
Every recorded move in Helsing’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundSeries E funding round
2026-07-13Series E raising $1800000000
PartnershipHelsing x Germany Bundeswehr kamikaze drone contract
2026-02-01Germany awarded Helsing and Stark initial contracts worth approximately 269M EUR each for kamikaze drones to equip Bundeswehr 45th Armoured Brigade in Lithuania. Framework agreements could push total value to 1B EUR per company.
Funding roundSeries D funding round
2025-06-17Series D raising $650000000
Funding roundSeries C funding round
2024-07-11Series C raising $487000000
Funding roundSeries B funding round
2023-09-01Series B raising $226000000
Funding roundSeries A funding round
2021-11-01Series A raising $111000000
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 5, 2026
Helsing HX-2 strike drone field testing
- Record createdJun 3, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedFeb 1, 2026
HX-2 (and HF-1) at Lithuania
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedNov 18, 2024
HX-2 (and HF-1) at Ukraine
Sources (3)
Market intelligence
Hiring signals
Role composition
Recent openings
- Senior Inventory AccountantBusiness
Munich
- Business
- Senior AccountantBusiness
Munich
- Operations
- Business
- Prototyping EngineerEngineering
London; Oxford
+4 more open roles tracked
Common questions
What is Helsing?
What does Helsing make?
Is Helsing publicly traded?
Who competes with Helsing?
Who is the CEO of Helsing?
How can I invest in Helsing?
Where is Helsing headquartered?
How much funding has Helsing raised?
Who owns Helsing?
Where does Helsing operate robots?
How many robots has Helsing deployed?
Is Helsing a top robotics company?
When was Helsing founded?
Is Helsing safe?
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- knowledge-base
- Knowledge base
- 1
- secondary-industry-publication
- Industry publication
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Helsing.Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Helsing from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
German drone maker Helsing enlists Rakuten to broker Japan military deal
The Ground Self-Defense Force is currently testing Helsing's HX-2 strike drone, as Tokyo looks to modernize its military and counter an increasingly assertive China.
German drone maker Helsing enlists Rakuten to broker Japan military deal
German drone maker Helsing has enlisted Japanese e-commerce and finance firm Rakuten to help finalize a deal to sell its unmanned systems to Japan’s army.
Rakuten, German startup Helsing test military drones for Japan
The country's Ground Self-Defense Force will conduct field tests of Helsing drones through the end of September, according to a Rakuten spokesperson.
Rakuten, German Startup Helsing Test Military Drones for Japan
Rakuten Group Inc. is working with defense AI startup Helsing to bring the German company’s military drones to Japan.
Defense Tech Startup Helsing Raises $1.8B in Series E Funding, Announces US Manufacturing Plans
Insider Brief Helsing has raised $1.8 billion in Series E funding and announced it will establish its first U.S. manufacturing base in West Virginia, expanding the European…
Defense technology startup Helsing raises $1.8B at $18B valuation
German defense technology startup Helsing SE today announced that it has closed a $1.8 billion Series E investment. The late-stage capital was provided by a group of 10 new and…
European defencetech leader Helsing secures $1.8B Series E at $18B valuation
Helsing, Europe's leading defence AI company, today announces it has raised $1.8 billion in a Series E, valuing the company at US$18 billion.New and existing investors…
Dronemaker Helsing Alters Staff Stock Plan Before Funding Round
European defense startup Helsing has overhauled its internal share program, alienating some staff as the company finalizes its biggest funding round to date.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/helsing.md
- RSS feed: /companies/helsing/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/5ac1ebcb-8e85-431d-b134-3ea03341e00e
- Revision history: /companies/helsing/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
Reality vs attention
Helsing draws attention at the 32nd percentile but verifies reality at the 60th percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap -27.6, 104th widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Well-capitalized with $3.3B raised and recent funding activity. Clean safety record across 2 verified deployments. Thin IP estate relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Aug 29, 2026