Torsten Reil

Overview
Torsten Reil is a co-founder and co-chief executive of Helsing, the Munich-based defence technology company founded in 2021. He is one of three co-founders and brings a background in artificial intelligence and technology entrepreneurship to the company's leadership.

Before Helsing, Reil was known for founding NaturalMotion, a company that developed animation and behavioural-simulation technology. His career spans academic research, gaming technology, and, most recently, defence artificial intelligence.

Why this entity matters
Reil is a central figure in one of Europe's most prominent and highly valued technology companies. As a co-chief executive of Helsing, he helps steer a business that reached a valuation of roughly 18 billion US dollars in 2026 and became Europe's most valuable defence startup.

His trajectory, from a games-technology founder to a leader in defence artificial intelligence, reflects a broader movement of experienced technology entrepreneurs into the European defence and deep-technology sector. This makes him a notable example of how founder experience is being redirected toward strategic technology.

Career, company, or institutional background
Reil studied at the University of Oxford, where his work was rooted in computational biology. He went on to found NaturalMotion, which became known for physics-based animation and behavioural-simulation software applied in video games and other media.

NaturalMotion was acquired by the gaming company Zynga in January 2014, in a transaction reported at approximately 527 million US dollars. Following that chapter, Reil co-founded Helsing in 2021 alongside Gundbert Scherf and Niklas Köhler, moving from entertainment technology into defence-focused artificial intelligence.

Role in the startup, technology, investment, or innovation ecosystem
As a co-founder and co-chief executive of Helsing, Reil occupies a visible position in the European technology and investment landscape. Helsing's financing rounds have drawn both specialist venture investors and large institutional backers, placing its leadership in regular contact with the upper tiers of the investment community.

Reil's earlier success with NaturalMotion also connects him to the gaming and animation technology ecosystem, giving him a cross-sector profile that spans entertainment software and defence technology.

Selected relationships and affiliations
Reil's most significant current affiliation is with Helsing, where he works alongside co-founders Gundbert Scherf and Niklas Köhler. Together they form the founding leadership of the company.

Through his earlier company, NaturalMotion, he is also associated with the gaming industry and with Zynga, which acquired that business. These affiliations situate him across both the technology-entertainment and defence-technology communities.

Startuprad.io relevance
As a co-founder of Helsing, Reil features in Startuprad.io's Unicorn Atlas coverage of the company, published as "Unicorn Atlas #1: Helsing - Europe's 18 Billion Defence AI Bet" (<a href="https://www.startuprad.io/post/e-767-unicorn-atlas-1-helsing-europe-s-18-billion-defence-ai-bet">www.startuprad.io</a>). That coverage examines Helsing's founders and their backgrounds as part of its analysis of the company's rise.

Reil's profile as a repeat founder operating from Germany aligns with Startuprad.io's focus on high-growth technology companies and their leaders in the German-speaking region.

Public source context
Information about Reil is available through independent business and technology sources, including a Crunchbase profile and reporting connected to Helsing and NaturalMotion. These sources document his role as co-founder and co-chief executive of Helsing and his earlier founding of NaturalMotion.

The facts summarised here draw on that public reporting and on corroborating coverage of Helsing's leadership and financing history.