# German Defense AI Startup Helsing Raises $1.8 Billion at $18 Billion Valuation

*2026-07-14 14:02 UTC · Business · 1 min read*

> Munich-based Helsing raised $1.8B in Europe's biggest-ever defense-tech funding round, reaching an $18B valuation and becoming mainland Europe's most valuable startup.

Munich-based Helsing closed a $1.8 billion Series E funding round on July 13, 2026, valuing the company at $18 billion — the largest funding round ever raised by a European defense-technology startup and making Helsing the most valuable startup in mainland Europe.

The oversubscribed round drew new and returning investors including JPMorganChase, General Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Iconiq, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, alongside earlier backers Accel and Greenoaks. Founded in 2021, Helsing builds AI software that fuses sensor data from drones, radar, satellites, and cameras into real-time battlefield views for armed forces, and produces hardware including the CA-1 Europa autonomous jet, the HX-2 Fathom reconnaissance drone, and the SG-1 Fathom autonomous mini-submarine.

The company says its AI is built to support human commanders rather than replace them, keeping people responsible for key decisions while automating data processing and threat detection. Helsing operates factories in the UK and Germany, with a third under construction, and positions itself as Europe's answer to US defense-tech leader Anduril amid a broader investor rush into military AI.

## Sources

- [siliconangle.com](https://siliconangle.com/2026/07/13/defense-technology-startup-helsing-raises-1-8b-18b-valuation/)
- [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/07/13/european-defence-ai-leader-helsing-secures-18b-series-e-at-18b-valuation/)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2005-german-defense-ai-startup-helsing-raises-1-8-billion-at-18-billion-valuation
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2078-nemecky-startup-pro-obranne-ai-helsing-ziskal-1-8-miliardy-dolaru-pri-oceneni