Daniel Ek-backed defense tech Helsing to raise $1.2B at $18B valuation

In Brief

Five-year-old European subject drone startup Helsing is reportedly adjacent to raising a caller $1.2 cardinal circular astatine astir an $18 cardinal valuation. The circular is expected to beryllium led by Dragoneer and co-led by existing Helsing capitalist Lightspeed, the Financial Times reported.

Helsing past raised conscionable nether a twelvemonth ago, in June 2025, successful a woody that was led by billionaire Spotify laminitis Daniel Ek. That was a €600 cardinal concern astatine an estimated €12 cardinal valuation ($14 cardinal USD). So this caller circular is simply a step-up.

While Helsing isn’t the lone European unicorn defence tech, it is by acold the 1 that investors deem the astir valuable. For instance, German drone shaper Quantum Systems raised €180 cardinal successful November, which valued it astatine much than €3 billion. And a twelvemonth ago, Lisbon-headquartered Tekever raised £400 cardinal astatine a valuation supra £1 billion. Amid Russia’s ongoing warfare successful Ukraine, the proving crushed for caller technologies, autonomous defence startups person go a blistery country for VCs.

Helsing, Dragoneer, and Lightspeed could not beryllium instantly reached for comment.

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