NestAI
NestAI is a Helsinki-based European physical AI lab founded in 2025 that builds NestOS, an open and modular adaptive AI operating system embedding autonomous intelligence into unmanned platforms, tactical radios, sensors, and command systems for European defence forces and OEM partners including Nokia, Patria, and Bittium.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2025
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What NestAI does
NestAI is a Helsinki-based European physical AI lab founded in 2025 by Peter Sarlin, the founder of Silo AI (Europe's largest AI acquisition), focused exclusively on defence applications. The company builds NestOS, an open and modular adaptive AI operating system designed to embed autonomous intelligence directly into unmanned platforms, tactical communications, sensors, and command systems. NestOS is architected as two environments — NestOS Edge for on-platform battlefield autonomy in GPS-denied and signal-jammed conditions, and NestOS Core for multi-sensor data fusion and command-level decision support — unified by a data-centric AI Engine that captures operational data, identifies capability gaps, generates synthetic training data, and deploys updated models in days rather than procurement cycles. The company is explicitly positioned around European sovereignty, with the platform built so that capability evolution remains under operator control rather than vendor control.
NestAI generates revenue through a dual model: licensable AI platform deployments (with enablement, maintenance, and ongoing support, typically structured as multi-year contracts) and Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE) services, in which NestAI engineering squads embed directly in customer development environments to validate AI against operational reality. Its customer base is concentrated in two segments: allied European defence forces (anchored by a strategic partnership with the Finnish Defence Forces) and defence industry OEMs whose platforms NestAI integrates with — explicitly named partners include Nokia, Patria, Bittium, FORCIT Defence, and ReOrbit, the latter of which co-runs a European Space AI Lab with NestAI. The company reported that Q1 2026 revenue exceeded its full-year 2025 total, and it is scaling from approximately 150-200 employees toward several hundred, backed by a €100 million investment from Nokia and Tesi (Finnish sovereign wealth fund) announced in November 2025.
The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting European defence organisations, with strategic partnerships serving as the primary distribution channel — NestOS reaches end users through its OEM partners' existing customer relationships rather than direct sales to every individual platform operator. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with B2B defence procurement norms. Marketing efforts concentrate on thought leadership via the company blog, LinkedIn, earned media in publications such as Helsingin Sanomat and TechCrunch, and active participation in European defence and technology conferences.
NestAI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NestAI
- Legal name
- NestAi Oy
- Website
- https://nestai.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2025
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- NestAI is a Helsinki-based European physical AI lab founded in 2025 that builds NestOS, an open and modular adaptive AI operating system embedding autonomous intelligence into unmanned platforms, tactical radios, sensors, and command systems for European defence forces and OEM partners including Nokia, Patria, and Bittium.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NestAI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Defence AI Software
- SIC
- Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV) (IMABAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Swarming, Collaborative Autonomy & Multi-Agent Systems (IMABAIAM), Defense Software, Mission Applications & Open Architecture (MOSA) Systems (IMABAOAM), Model Serving, Inference & Deployment Platforms (APIs, Edge/On-Prem) (HDAEANAC)
Keywords
Where NestAI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
NestAI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Platform Licensing: Licensable AI platform with enablement, maintenance, and support. NestAI configures capabilities to customer existing systems and infrastructure, without replacing architecture or requiring clean-sheet integration. Revenue generated from platform deployment, configuration services, and ongoing support.
- Forward-Deployed Engineering Services: Engineering teams work directly in customer development environments, addressing real platform constraints. Structured around customer product lifecycle. Direct access to NestAI deep tech and AI expertise, embedded in customer development environment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Platform licensing with enablement, maintenance and support |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
NestAI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NestAI develops NestOS, an open, modular adaptive operating system for defence that enables AI to continuously learn from operational data and evolve after deployment. NestOS comprises NestOS Edge (edge inference and battlefield autonomy on unmanned platforms), NestOS Core (multi-sensor data fusion, coordination and command), and the NestOS AI Engine (data-centric model development and deployment). The company also delivers Forward-Deployed Engineering services that embed engineers directly in customer development environments.
Product overview
NestAI is a European AI lab for defence that offers the NestOS adaptive operating system as its core product. NestOS is an open, modular platform built for sovereign European control, comprising two operational components — NestOS Edge (sensing, autonomy, and real-time edge operation) and NestOS Core (data fusion, coordination, and command) — plus the NestOS AI Engine that drives continuous learning from operational data. NestAI also delivers its capabilities through Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE) services, embedding engineers directly in customer environments. The platform integrates into existing hardware and systems (such as Bittium tactical radios, Patria drone platforms) without requiring replacement of existing infrastructure, enabling AI that evolves after deployment rather than remaining fixed at the point of fielding.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NestOS: Open, modular adaptive operating system platform for defence systems that continuously evolves in the field. Designed for sovereign European control, enabling intelligence that keeps learning from operational data and adapting to changing battlefield conditions.
Products and services
- NestOS Open, modular adaptive operating system for modern battlefield operations that enables AI to continuously learn from operational data and evolve after deployment. Runs across Edge and Core environments, integrates with legacy and heterogeneous hardware, and keeps capability evolution under sovereign European control. Built for European defence forces and defence industry partners.
- NestOS Edge Edge environment of NestOS that enables battlefield autonomy and real-time operation on unmanned platforms. Runs inference and mission logic directly on the device so platforms can sense, decide, and act without cloud connectivity or data links in GPS-denied, signal-jammed, and bandwidth-constrained environments.
- NestOS Core Core environment of NestOS providing data fusion, coordination, and command-level capabilities. Fuses multi-sensor, multi-platform data into a unified operational picture across diverse unmanned vehicle fleets, sensors, and legacy systems, delivering AI-powered decision support that keeps pace with operational tempo.
- NestOS AI Engine Data-centric AI development capability at the heart of NestOS that continuously turns operational data from deployed systems into deployed intelligence. Captures operational data, identifies capability gaps, generates synthetic training data for adversarial scenarios, and rapidly deploys updated models from gap identification to fielded model in days rather than procurement cycles.
- Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE) Engineering squads embedded directly in customer development environments that shorten the path from development to fielded capability and validate product assumptions against operational reality. Structured around the customer product lifecycle with direct access to NestAI's AI expertise inside the customer's environment. Targeted at defence industry partners integrating adaptive AI into their platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- From identified capability gap to updated, validated model in days, not procurement cycles
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use NestAI
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NestAI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature5 records
NestAI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.
- BittiumcorePartnership to integrate NestOS AI platform into Bittium's tough SDR radios and FUSOR tactical communication solutions. NestOS adds adaptive intelligence for cognitive routing and acoustic sensing, enabling intelligent routing based on network conditions and turning tactical radios into distributed sensor networks for drone detection and situational awareness.
- PatriacoreTechnology partnership integrating NestAI's NestOS operating system with Patria's unmanned aerial systems (drone platforms) for European defence forces. Partnership combines Patria's drone platform and operational reach with NestAI's adaptive AI capabilities. Aims to deliver sovereign, European-built AI capabilities for modern warfare.
- FORCIT DefencecorePartnership combining FORCIT's advanced sensor systems with NestAI's NestOS platform to deliver intelligent, software-defined defence solutions. Transforms traditionally passive area denial systems (A2/AD) into active, perceptive networks with distributed perception capabilities. Enables intelligent orchestration of previously isolated systems.
- ReOrbitkeyStrategic partnership to establish a European Space AI Lab for sovereign space intelligence. Integrates ReOrbit's software-defined satellite architecture with NestAI's physical AI platform. Focuses on real-time autonomous data processing in orbit, sovereign data processing, low-latency intelligence sharing, and on-orbit adaptive intelligence.
- Finnish Defence ForcescoreStrategic partnership with Finnish Defence Forces to develop AI-powered defence solutions. NestAI works with the Finnish Defence Forces and other European defence forces on adaptive intelligence for unmanned systems and command platforms.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
NestAI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rebellion Defense: US defence AI software company delivering AI-driven decision-support and autonomy products to military customers. Comparable as a pure-play defence AI software peer operating in mission planning, decision support, and autonomous systems.
- Shield AI: US defence AI company building autonomous aircraft (Hivemind, V-BAT) for military operations. Directly comparable as an AI-for-autonomous-defence-systems peer with a similar edge-AI, mission-autonomy value proposition.
- Helsing: European defence AI company (Germany/UK) building AI-enabled autonomous systems for European armed forces. Most directly comparable to NestAI in mission, customer segment, and sovereign European positioning; competitor for the same allied-nation defence AI contracts.
- Applied Intuition: AI software company for autonomous systems across defence, automotive, and other sectors. Comparable on the autonomy-software-for-defence-platforms dimension, particularly in simulation and deployment tooling for unmanned systems.
Broad incumbents
- Palantir Technologies: Public defence and data analytics software platform (Gotham, AIP) widely deployed across US and allied defence forces. Comparable on the data-fusion, command-and-control, and AI-for-defence dimensions, but operates at much larger scale across multiple industries.
- Anduril Industries: US-headquartered defence technology company building autonomous systems and AI software (Lattice OS) for military customers. Comparable as an AI-platform-plus-autonomous-systems peer, but much larger, US-based, and competing for transatlantic defence programmes.
- Thales: European defence and aerospace prime investing heavily in AI for command-and-control, autonomous systems, and tactical communications. Comparable as a European defence incumbent integrating AI into platforms and a potential customer/competitor for NestOS-style capabilities.
- Leidos: Large US defence and IT services contractor with growing AI/autonomy capabilities across defence and intelligence customers. Comparable as a systems-integrator-plus-defence-AI peer but operating at significantly larger scale and scope.
- BAE Systems: European-headquartered defence prime with autonomous-systems, electronic warfare, and AI initiatives. Comparable as a large European defence platform builder integrating third-party AI capabilities, and a potential partner/competitor for NestOS deployments.
- Booz Allen Hamilton: US management and technology consultancy with a substantial defence AI practice serving US and allied militaries. Comparable as a defence AI systems integrator serving European and allied defence customers, but primarily consulting-led.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NestAI social profiles
Digital presenceNestAI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NestAI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
NestAI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NestAI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NestAI
What does NestAI do?
NestAI develops NestOS, an open, modular adaptive operating system for defence that enables AI to continuously learn from operational data and evolve after deployment. NestOS comprises NestOS Edge (edge inference and battlefield autonomy on unmanned platforms), NestOS Core (multi-sensor data fusion, coordination and command), and the NestOS AI Engine (data-centric model development and deployment). The company also delivers Forward-Deployed Engineering services that embed engineers directly in customer development environments.
Is NestAI a public or private company?
NestAI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was NestAI founded?
NestAI was founded in 2025. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is NestAI based?
NestAI is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does NestAI make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. AI Platform Licensing is the primary driver. The others are forward-Deployed Engineering Services.
Who are NestAI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rebellion Defense, Shield AI, Helsing and Applied Intuition. Broad incumbents are Palantir Technologies, Anduril Industries, Thales, Leidos, BAE Systems and Booz Allen Hamilton.
Does NestAI have an API?
No public API is recorded for NestAI.
What industry is NestAI in?
NestAI's product category is Defence AI Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAIAH, Autonomy Software, AI & Mission Management (UAS/UXV), with a secondary code of IMABAIAM, Swarming, Collaborative Autonomy & Multi-Agent Systems. Its SIC code is 3812.