Helsing Raises $1.8B at $18B Valuation in Europe's Largest AI Defense Round
Munich-based AI defense startup Helsing closed an $1.8 billion funding round led by Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, pushing its valuation to $18 billion. That figure represents a 50 percent jump from its previous valuation and sets a new funding record for a German and European defense technology company. The round signals that major Wall Street institutions are now writing large checks directly into European AI defense infrastructure.
Helsing is private, so retail investors cannot buy it directly, but the round puts pressure on publicly traded defense and AI hardware names to reprice the sector's growth ceiling upward. European defense ETFs and US-listed primes with AI integration stories are the most direct beneficiaries. Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan's lead positions also suggest these banks see a durable institutional market here, which tends to pull other capital in.
Next NATO defense spending summit commitments (expected mid-2025). Quarterly earnings from Palantir (PLTR) and Rheinmetall (RHM.DE), both next reporting windows. Any Helsing IPO filing or secondary market activity.
- Defense: Helsing raises record $1.8 billion · Handelsblatt
- Business Ticker: $1.8 billion funding for drone maker Helsing · FAZ Wirtschaft
- Defense-tech Helsing secures $1.8B from Goldman and JPMorgan at $18B valuation · Seeking Alpha
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