Munich, Germany, September 4th, 2025: FERNRIDE, Europe’s leading ground autonomy platform, announces the extension of its Series A financing round, raising an additional €18. This brings the total funding to €75 million, fueling the acceleration of dual-use autonomous logistics solutions across Europe. With a track record of transforming civilian logistics for blue-chip customers such as HHLA, Volkswagen, and DB Schenker, FERNRIDE is now applying its proven technology and expertise to a critical additional domain: defence logistics.
The extension is backed by Helantic and joined by various prominent dual-use investors, including Thomas Müller, former CEO of Hensoldt and Board Member of Airbus Defense, who also takes a seat on FERNRIDE’s Board. Next to existing shareholders doubling down, several new strategic investors, family offices, and venture capital firms joined the round, supporting the mission.
FERNRIDE’s technology is already deployed at critical nodes of Europe’s infrastructure, such as container terminals, supporting the mission of transforming and strengthening the critical industries that our societies rely on. The company prepares to scale its solution in container terminals, following the groundbreaking first-ever safety certification of an autonomous terminal tractor by TÜV SÜD and the transition to operations without a safety driver. This latest funding will help expand its autonomous solutions into defence logistics, underlining a clear market pull for dual-use capabilities that enhance both commercial and strategic resilience.
“Europe needs sovereignty in critical industries and technologies. Autonomous systems for Container Terminals and Defence are mission-critical for Europe’s future,” said Hendrik Kramer, CEO and Co-founder of FERNRIDE. “Our solution is already operating in essential infrastructure, keeping goods moving at container terminals. With this new investment, we’ll expand our technology platform to serve defence logistics, ensuring safer operations, addressing personnel shortages, and ultimately protecting lives. We’ve shown that autonomy can solve real-world problems in civilian supply chains. Now we’re stepping up to serve European defence forces with the same mission: protect lives, boost resilience, and put humans back in control, just not always behind the wheel.”
Thomas Müller, who joins the Advisory Board of FERNRIDE, commented:
“FERNRIDE’s technology has already proven itself in civilian logistics, and its high potential to protect lives and strengthen Europe’s defence forces is undeniable. This is exactly the kind of Made-in-Germany innovation we need to ensure technological sovereignty.”
European armed forces face increasing pressure to defend their democracies amid rising geopolitical tensions and a persistent shortage of skilled personnel. Defence logistics must evolve, fast. FERNRIDE delivers a comprehensive made-in-Europe AI-powered ground autonomy platform designed for rapid deployment, vehicle-agnostic retrofitting, and seamless human oversight.
With this launch, FERNRIDE aims to enhance mission flexibility, protect lives in high-risk zones, and help defence organizations reallocate skilled personnel from repetitive transport tasks to more strategic roles.