Germany
Helsing is a German defence-technology company, based in Munich and founded in 2021, that applies artificial intelligence to military systems using real-time sensor data and has expanded into building strike drones and underwater surveillance.
Helsing was valued at around €12 billion in a 2025 round led by Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek, with reports in 2026 of a further raise approaching an 18 billion dollar valuation, making it Europe's most valuable defence startup.
