Lilium N.V. Business Summary

Lilium N.V. (LILMF) is a German aerospace company that pioneered the Regional Air Mobility (RAM) sector through the development of the Lilium Jet, an all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft utilizing proprietary Ducted Electric Vectored Thrust (DEVT) technology. The company’s business model was designed to generate revenue through three primary segments: B2B aircraft sales to private and commercial operators, B2C on-demand air taxi services via a proprietary digital platform, and a comprehensive aftermarket service organization known as POWER-ON. Despite securing an order pipeline of over 780 aircraft from global partners like Saudia and NetJets, the company entered self-administered insolvency in late 2024 after failing to secure state-backed financing. As of March 2026, Lilium has ceased primary operations following the collapse of a €200 million rescue deal with the Mobile Uplift Corporation consortium, with its extensive 300-patent portfolio recently acquired by competitor Archer Aviation for approximately $21 million. Its primary direct competitors include Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, and Vertical Aerospace, against whom Lilium previously positioned itself as a high-capacity, regional-speed alternative before its financial liquidation. The company was founded in 2015 by a team of engineers from the Technical University of Munich, including Daniel Wiegand, Sebastian Born, Patrick Nathen, and Matthias Meiner. The current leadership team, which managed the company through its restructuring and subsequent wind-down, is led by CEO Klaus Roewe, a 30-year aerospace veteran who previously headed the A320 and A320neo programs at Airbus. He is supported by CTO Stephen Vellacott, an aerospace-chartered engineer with four decades of experience at Leonardo, and CFO Johan Malmqvist. Lilium’s board of directors has historically featured high-profile industry figures such as Chairman Tom Enders (former CEO of Airbus) and David Neeleman (founder of JetBlue and Azul). Notable institutional investors that backed the venture prior to its insolvency include Tencent, Atomico, Baillie Gifford, and Palantir Technologies, reflecting a pedigree of significant venture capital and strategic aerospace support.