• French startup HyLight has closed a €13 million [$14.5 million USD] Series A to increase its operating fleet from four HyLighters to 15 in 2027, with the round led by Rubio Impact Ventures alongside DRW and Teampact Ventures.
• Existing investors Y Combinator and Ring Capital also participated, bringing disclosed funding to approximately €16.7 million.

HyLight, the French startup building hydrogen-powered airships for infrastructure inspection, has raised €13 million [$14.5 million USD] in a Series A funding round. The capital will be used to expand the company's team and increase its operating fleet from four HyLighters to 15 in 2027.

Founded in 2022 and a graduate of Y Combinator, HyLight has spent four years developing its HyLighter aircraft — 12-metre lighter-than-air platforms designed to inspect power lines, gas pipelines, and railways over long distances. HyLight says it has a team of 45 and has inspected 7,000 kilometres of infrastructure to date, mostly in France.

HyLighter Targets 350km Range

Each HyLighter is powered by an electric motor running on a hydrogen fuel cell, with a targeted range of up to 350 kilometres. The aircraft operate with little noise and no direct emissions in flight.

Each airship carries sensors including LiDAR, cameras, and methane detectors, and can carry out detailed inspections at around 25 metres altitude. HyLight has also developed its own software platform capable of identifying up to 50 types of potential infrastructure problems, delivering inspection findings directly to operators.

HyLight handles flight operations, data collection and analysis itself.

Previous Funding and Next Markets

HyLight previously raised €3.7 million [$4 million USD] in a round closed in April 2024. The new round brings disclosed funding to approximately €16.7 million.

HyLight plans to expand next into Germany and the Netherlands.

Source：FuelCellsWorks