The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies Kelluu: 1 model, 2 deployments across 1 region, $16.0M raised. 2 sources back the record.
CategoryDrones
Overview
Helsinki-based deep tech company operating the world's largest fleet of autonomous airships for Persistent aerial intelligence and surveillance. CEO and co-founder Janne Hietala. Raised 15M EUR Series A in February 2026 led by the NATO Innovation Fund — its first investment in Finland. Selected for NATO DIANA program (one of 15 from 2,600 applicants). Expanding to Canada for Arctic surveillance.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 2 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Valuation of record
DEPLOY VERIFIEDPriced roundSeries A post-money
Key facts
Founded
HQ
Investorssee investors →
Notable
Data & sources
Web sources
2
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Kelluu on the deployment map
View the global map2 verified deployments across 1 region, newest verified Dec 2025. Explore where Kelluu's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full Kelluu deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Janne Hietala CEOsecondary-verified
Safety record
No incidents on record for Kelluu.
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)
- Kelluu2 deployments
Recent coverage
Kelluu in third-party press
NATO Innovation Fund portfolio company Kelluu expands to Canada, bringing persistent airship surveillance to the Arctic
The EU-Startups Podcast | Interview with Janne Hietala, CEO of Kelluu - EU-Startups
Telia, Kelluu Demonstrate Airship-Based 5G Connectivity for Mission-Critical Applications in Remote Areas - The Fast Mode
Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
Financial state
- Total funding
- $16.0M
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- early
- Counterparty risk class
- unknown
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 (1)
- Series A2026-02-15
$16M(reported) · $96M post
Timeline
Every recorded move in Kelluu’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundSeries A funding round
2026-02-15Series A raising $16000000
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdAug 7, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedDec 1, 2025
Kelluu Airship at Finland (Eurosatory 2026 showcase)
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedJan 1, 2024
Kelluu Airship at North Karelia, Joensuu, Finland
Sources (2)
Common questions
What is Kelluu?
What does Kelluu make?
Who competes with Kelluu?
Who is the CEO of Kelluu?
Where is Kelluu headquartered?
How much funding has Kelluu raised?
Where does Kelluu operate robots?
How many robots has Kelluu deployed?
Is Kelluu a top robotics company?
When was Kelluu founded?
Is Kelluu safe?
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Kelluu.Peer companies
- Amazon25 models
- Anduril Industries7 models
- DJI7 models
- Autel Robotics4 models
- Baykar4 models
- Earendil Robotics4 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Kelluu from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
NATO Innovation Fund portfolio company Kelluu expands to Canada, bringing persistent airship surveillance to the Arctic
The post NATO Innovation Fund portfolio company Kelluu expands to Canada, bringing persistent airship surveillance to the Arctic appeared first on Nato Innovation Fund .
The EU-Startups Podcast | Interview with Janne Hietala, CEO of Kelluu - EU-Startups
<a…
Telia, Kelluu Demonstrate Airship-Based 5G Connectivity for Mission-Critical Applications in Remote Areas - The Fast Mode
<a…
Telia and Finnish airship operator Kelluu demonstrate 5G rapid deployment for mission-critical use - Telecompaper
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Telia and Kelluu lift 5G coverage to new heights with airships - telecomtv.com
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Latham Advises on Kelluu’s €15 Million Series A - Latham & Watkins LLP
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Finnish deeptech startup Kelluu secures €15 million Series A to scale autonomous airship surveillance - ArcticStartup
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The NATO Innovation Fund Leads €15mn Series A in Kelluu to Build Europe’s Persistent Aerial Intelligence Layer and Strengthen NATO’s Surveillance Capabilities
The post The NATO Innovation Fund Leads €15mn Series A in Kelluu to Build Europe’s Persistent Aerial Intelligence Layer and Strengthen NATO’s Surveillance Capabilities appeared…
Finland’s Kelluu Raises €15M NIF-led Series A - Tectonic Defense
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Kelluu raises €15M to scale autonomous airship intelligence platform - Tech.eu
<a…
Finland’s Kelluu raises €15 million Series A led by NATO Innovation Fund to advance persistent aerial intelligence - EU-Startups
<a…
Kelluu raises €15m to secure Europe’s skies with autonomous airships - Sifted
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Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/kelluu.md
- RSS feed: /companies/kelluu/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/48a2f9e1-6d47-49de-b04e-678c79ccc8eb
- Revision history: /companies/kelluu/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
Video
Kelluu Ltd. produces small, autopiloted airships that can stay in the air (almost) permanently. Video by Sanomalehti Karjalainen Wait... airships? Yes, but not like they used to be: gigantic, aimed to carry heavy paylo
Janne Hietala, CEO of Kelluu, speaks with host Randy Goers about how the company's hydrogen-powered airships are revolutionizing aerial data collection.
Heat Index
Category contender75/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Kelluu draws attention at the 43rd percentile but verifies reality at the 59th percentile among aerial robots. Hype Gap -15.8, 88th widest among aerial robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 2 verified deployments. Funded with institutional backing on record. Deployment footprint remains limited 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: Sep 23, 2026