Estonian Plural invests in the German defense company Helsing

Venture capital firm Plural, founded by Estonian entrepreneurs Sten Tamkivi and Taavet Hinrikus, has invested in German defense company Helsing. US General Catalyst was the lead investor in the €450М Series C. Also participating in the deal were the US angel investor Elad Gil, UK Accel, Sweden Saab, and US Lightspeed and Greenoaks. 

Helsing's platform uses AI to analyze live data and improve the decision-making for defense, intelligence, and national security systems. The company was founded in 2021 by Niklas Köhler, Torsten Reil, and Gundbert Scherf. 

The investment will be used for product development and R&D. The company's total funding exceeds $760M.

Since 2022, Helsing has been active in Ukraine and recently established the Defense Manufacturers Alliance, a joint initiative with the Ukrainian government. Helsing has now opened a subsidiary in Estonia where it will invest €70М in it over the next three years.

Founded in 2022 by Sten Tamkivi, Taavet Hinrikus, Ian Hogarth, and Khaled Helioui, Plural focuses on leading early-stage rounds between €1M and €10M. In 2023, a new partner, AI-driven biotech HelixNano founder, and VC investor Carina Namih joined Plural. The fund has its own rule that requires all of Plural's partners to make personal co-investments in the deals they lead.