Kelluu, a deeptech company, has raised €15 million in a Series A funding round to scale its autonomous aerial intelligence platform.
The round was led by the NATO Innovation Fund, marking its first investment in a Finnish company, with additional participation from Keen Venture Partners, GungnirCapital, and Tesi. The funding follows the company’s completion of two phases of NATO’s DIANA programme and reflects growing demand for persistent surveillance technologies in Europe.
What The Company Does
Kelluu develops and operates autonomous, hydrogen-powered airships designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Its unmanned systems enable continuous monitoring over large and remote areas, supporting early threat detection and operational efficiency.
The company’s airships are engineered for long-duration missions in challenging environments, combining low-emission performance with high-precision sensing capabilities. This allows for sustained data collection without the limitations typically associated with conventional aerial systems.
Kelluu positions its platform as filling a gap between satellites and drones. While satellites offer broad geographic coverage and drones provide detailed imagery, both face constraints related to endurance, weather, and regulatory conditions. Kelluu’s airships, by contrast, are capable of missions exceeding 12 hours and can deliver consistent, high-resolution data streams.
A fleet-based model further enhances coverage, with multiple airships able to monitor large ტერიტორი—up to 30,000 square kilometres—from a single operational base.
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Market Context / Industry Background
Demand for persistent aerial intelligence has increased across Europe, driven by rising defence spending and the need for enhanced situational awareness. Governments and defence organisations are investing in technologies that enable continuous monitoring and faster response times.
At the same time, dual-use technologies are gaining traction, particularly those that can serve both military and civilian applications. Platforms capable of supporting infrastructure monitoring, environmental analysis, and urban planning are attracting interest due to their scalability and cost efficiency.
Kelluu operates within this context, offering a solution that combines endurance, flexibility, and lower operational costs compared to traditional manned aviation systems.
Founder / Investor Commentary
Janne Hietala, CEO of Kelluu, explained that the company was built to address the need for reliable, long-duration aerial intelligence in demanding environments. He noted that the company’s approach reflects a broader view of aerial monitoring as critical infrastructure, not only for defence but also for national resilience.
He added that developing the technology in challenging operational conditions has shaped the company’s focus on reliability and scalability across different use cases.
Growth Plans / Use Of Funds
The €15 million funding will be used to further develop Kelluu’s airship technology, expand its operational fleet, and accelerate deployment across Europe. The company also plans to grow its engineering capabilities and strengthen partnerships within defence and public-sector ecosystems.
In parallel, Kelluu is advancing its long-term strategy through its AI-focused division, Kelluu AI Labs. This initiative is working on geospatial foundation models designed to simulate real-world environments, supporting applications in defence, infrastructure resilience, and environmental monitoring.
About Kelluu
Kelluu is a Finnish deeptech company developing autonomous aerial intelligence systems. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Finland, the company focuses on combining continuous aerial monitoring with AI-driven simulation to build high-resolution digital representations of real-world environments.
