Helsing: the start-up that makes drones, submarines and AI for war - and Spotify's Daniel Ek is betting €600m on it
- Daniel Ek (CEO of Spotify), through his investment firm Prima Materia, is investing €600 million in defence start-up Helsing.
- The company is thus valued at €12 billion, making it one of the top 5 most valuable European technology start-ups.
- Helsing is rapidly transforming from a pure AI software company to a next-generation defence manufacturer - producing drones, autonomous submarines, aerial systems and war software.
Daniel Ek believes that future conflicts will be determined by AI and autonomous systems. His investment is not just financial - it is strategic:
Helsing is developing, among other things:
- AI for air and naval decision-making
- systems linking drones to fighters (e.g. Saab)
- underwater autonomous surveillance submarines
- software for real-time combat scenarios
The company is clearly setting itself apart from the conventional arms makers - it has rejected a merger with Rheinmetall, is not selling to large conglomerates and wants to go public as an independent entity.
- Helsing is not just "another AI start-up". It is Europe's answer to arms companies like Palantir or Anduril.
- In a global world of conflict and instability, there is a growing demand for autonomous defence, sovereignty and high-tech weapons.
- Daniel Ek has already once disrupted the global market for Spotify. Now he has the chance to revolutionise the future of war.