Helu.io
“Can a DATEV-native FP&A tool become the controlling layer for every DACH SMB currently running its finances in Excel?”
Founded2020
HQVienna, Austria
FoundersFranz Salzmann
Total raised$15M
Latest roundSeries A, 2022
IndustryHorizontal SaaS / FP&A
The story
Founded 2020 in Vienna to replace Excel-based controlling for DACH SMEs already booking in DATEV. Rather than build a general FP&A tool, Helu wedged into the DATEV ecosystem via the certified DATEVconnect interface — a defensible moat in the German-speaking mid-market where DATEV is the de-facto accounting standard. Roadmap through 2027 pivots toward 'AI-first / Agentic FP&A'.
Last 12 months
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Product timeline
2020
Company founded in Vienna by Franz Salzmann to automate financial controlling and reporting for SMEs.· pivot
2021
Launch of Helu MVP; closed €5M seed round.· banking
2022
Official partnership with DATEV; became DATEV Marketplace provider; closed $10M Series A led by CommerzVentures.· banking
2023
Expansion of controlling functions; user access rights, planning & forecasting released.· banking
2024
Set strategic course for holistic FP&A.· pivot
2025
Launch of Helu 2.0; hundreds of customers on DACH-focused FP&A platform.· banking
2026
Targeted growth and scaling strategy; preparing for Agentic FP&A.· pivot
The stack
2 layers disclosed in Helu.io’s embedded-finance stack
Unified APIs
Accounting
in the full report
Accounting gap: none
2 more providers across 1 layer, with confidence-scored evidence and source URLs, are in the Embedded Finance Index report.