FERNRIDE Secures Additional €18 Million to Expand Ground Autonomy Platform into European Defence Logistics

Fernride, a Munich-based autonomy platform, led by Hendrik Kramer, Thomas Bock, Guenter Schmidmeir, and Candice Manatsa, has announced the extension of its Series A financing round, raising an additional €18 million 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 powering key European infrastructure, including container terminals. Following TÜV SÜD’s first-ever safety certification of an autonomous terminal tractor and the move to driverless operations, the company is set to scale. Backed by new funding, FERNRIDE will expand into defence logistics, meeting strong demand for dual-use solutions that boost both commercial and strategic resilience.

Amid rising geopolitical tensions and personnel shortages, European armed forces face mounting pressure to protect their democracies. FERNRIDE offers a made-in-Europe AI-powered ground autonomy platform, enabling rapid deployment, vehicle-agnostic retrofitting, and seamless human oversight. The solution enhances mission flexibility, safeguards lives in high-risk zones, and frees skilled personnel for more strategic roles.