Kelluu Secures €15M for European Aerial Intelligence Network

A Finnish deep technology firm has secured €15 million in Series A funding to expand its unique persistent aerial intelligence network across Europe. The round was led by the NATO Innovation Fund, marking the venture arm’s inaugural investment in a Finnish company. Kelluu, which operates the world’s largest fleet of autonomous hydrogen airships, will use the capital to optimize its technology and scale its engineering and deployment teams. Additional investors include Keen Venture Partners, Gungnir Capital, and the Finnish state investment company Tesi.

Kelluu’s near-silent, emission-free airships are engineered for extreme operational resilience. They can function in temperatures plunging to -33°C, withstand sustained GNSS jamming, and patrol the harsh Arctic environment. A key strategic advantage is their vast coverage area; just five vehicles operating from one base can monitor 30,000 square kilometres, a territory comparable to the size of Belgium. This capability bridges a critical gap in aerial surveillance. Satellites often provide infrequent, lower-resolution data, while most drones lack the endurance and cold-weather reliability for prolonged missions. Kelluu’s platform offers continuous presence and high-precision sensing precisely where traditional systems falter.

The company’s technology has already been rigorously validated within NATO frameworks. Kelluu successfully completed two phases of the alliance’s DIANA accelerator programme, having been chosen from a pool of over 2,600 applicants. Its airships have logged more than 50,000 flight kilometres, including demanding 12-hour Arctic missions. In a significant demonstration earlier this year, Kelluu integrated in real-time with the Maven Smart System during the large-scale NATO Exercise Steadfast Dart 26 in Germany. The airships delivered live video and geolocation feeds directly to a multinational force of ten thousand troops.

Further tests have been conducted at the NATO Innovation Range in Finland, supporting eastern flank deterrence initiatives, and in exercises with NATO Maritime Command. This track record underscores the system’s value for defence and security applications. Designed as a dual-use platform from its inception, Kelluu’s technology also serves vital civilian functions. These include forestry management, meteorological observation, and smart-city sensing networks, providing a versatile tool for both public and private sector monitoring.

Looking ahead, the company is advancing its Kelluu AI Labs initiative. This project aims to develop foundational AI models for the physical environment by creating a powerful geospatial data flywheel. As CEO Janne Hietala explains, every hour of flight and every sensor pass accumulates into unique, compounding datasets that are exceptionally difficult for competitors to replicate. This investment propels Kelluu’s vision of establishing an unblinking, intelligent eye in the sky, capable of delivering persistent situational awareness across the continent’s most challenging terrains.