Index of 68 Weapons Startups
This document illustrates the venture capital military and weapons build-out.
Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund (Peter Thiel’s VC firm) and YCombinator are the biggest drivers of the industry’s new era of militarization. They are working to move weapons production from existing primes – Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, etc. – into venture capital-backed startups. This transition is accelerated by Trump’s election as venture capital weapons executives move to take control.
Per Crunchbase in August 2024: “Venture funding for defense tech startups is ready to set new records. After Anduril’s huge round, so far in 2024 defense tech startups have raised $2.5 billion — per Crunchbase data — nearly matching the record high of $2.6 billion set in 2022. Last year, such startups collected only $2.1 billion total. Helping the industry hit those new heights are the aforementioned Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz. Those firms have made the most investments this year — three apiece — of any VC firm and Andreessen the most since 2021 with 14 deals.”
While extensive, this document does not include every weapon or defense startup.
Updated December 2024.
Founded 2024, $500K raised from YCombinator.
Per their website: “Ares is building a new class of anti-ship cruise missiles. We are going to deliver the capabilities that the DoD wants in a form factor that’s 10x smaller and 10x cheaper.” Like many weapons startups, their technology is premised on possible war with China: “A war with China in the Taiwan Strait would look nothing like what we've seen in Ukraine or the Middle East. Wargames within DoD and military experts are in agreement that the most useful weapons in such a conflict would be long range anti-ship weapons or cruise missiles.” As a key part of the AI supply chain, Taiwan is an ongoing site of tension between venture capitalists and China.
Founded 2024, $500K raised from YCombinator.
Guardian RF states on its website, “We are developing capabilities for the United States and her allies to detect, track and disrupt unmanned aerial systems (UAS).”
Founded 2024, $12.2 million raised from Alumni Ventures, The Veteran Fund and Decisive Point.
HavocAI produces autonomous unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) offering an “end-to-end solution for planning, tasking and control of 1000s of uncrewed surface vessels”. Their vessels are described as modular with ultra-low build time of mere hours.
Founded 2024, $880K raised from unknown investors.
Tactical Edge Systems states in its website that the company “helps businesses and defense organizations solve their energy, logistics, and autonomous systems challenges.”
Founded 2024, $590K raised from unknown investors.
Edge Orbital’s main product is the EO digital self-defense glasses, currently available for preorder. The company claims on their website that the glasses “combine futuristic style with unparalleled security, giving you real-time threat detection and seamless connectivity.” It also wants to make “an interplanetary information superhighway—a new, high-capacity communication network that supplements the [Deep Space Network] and expands its capabilities.”
Founded 2023, unknown funding raised from Silent Ventures, Soma Capital, Quiet Capital and LMNT Ventures.
Swarmbiotics AI is creating ground swarm robotics – Attritable, Networked Tactical Swarms (A.N.T.S). These systems are designed to work in surveillance, targeting, electromagnetic warfare, casualty evacuation, and military deception operations.
Founded 2023, $13 million raised from In-Q-Tel, Decisive Point, Blue Collective and Lockheed Martin Ventures.
VATN builds military autonomous underwater vehicle swarms which synchronise and thus make possible new types of battlefield operations. The swarms do not require a human operator. They are currently developing new sensor and data fusion techniques, and the swarm platform can be adapted to support a variety of military hardware.
Founded 2023, $4.6 million raised from Silent Ventures.
Aeon Industries is “developing advanced capabilities at scale for maximum overmatch and deterrence.” The company’s website features two products. Zeus is described as “a next-generation anti-tank guided missile system.” Dart is described as “gliding precision strike munition.”
Founded 2022, $19.6 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz.
Castelion builds long-range strike hypersonic weapons, focusing on rapid development and testing and integration with existing war planes. It recently emerged from stealth mode. It was reported in March 2024 that Castelion had successfully tested their first hypersonic prototype in the Mojave Desert.
Founded 2022, $7 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz.
ZeroMark creates auto-targeting control fire systems “at the intersection of AI/ML, Robotics, and Weaponry in the Service of National Defense,” “enabling military professionals to use weapons with efficacy.” The startup is in stealth mode and little additional information is available. In 2024, a report described a ZeroMark product in development as an “AI-powered auto-aiming system, which is designed to modify standard infantry rifles into counter-drone systems.”
Founded 2022, $84.7 million raised from Sequoia, Bedrock, Marque Ventures.
Little information is available on Mach Industries, which remains in stealth. According to reporting, Mach is “developing a suite of hydrogen-powered platforms and munitions for the military, including unmanned aerial vehicles and hydrogen generation systems.” In May 2024, it was reported that the company’s efforts have been “hamstrung by technical challenges, safety hazards and a cavalier approach to leadership.”
Founded 2022, unknown funds raised from Countdown Capital, Susa Ventures.
Swarm is currently in stealth mode. They are “building the largest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm”, powered by artificial intelligence. From an essay by its founder, “think thousands of small weapons-carrying aircraft swarming the sky and hundreds of submersibles churning the depth of the sea, all of them equipped with sensors that provide a holistic picture of the battlefield.”
Founded 2022, $40.5 raised from Decisive Point, The Veteran Fund, Lockheed Martin Ventures.
Firestorm builds military unmanned aerial systems. Its current product is a flying warcraft that carries a payload (weapon) of up to 10 pounds, with flexible integration to allow operators to switch out payloads. A major focus is the factory manufacturing capabilities, using automation, robotics and additive manufacturing; their distributed manufacturing model requires limited human intervention and is designed to work off the grid to produce unmanned warcraft at scale.
Founded 2022, $215 million raised from 8VC, Silent Ventures, Valar Ventures.
Chaos is in stealth mode and little is known about it. From reporting on the Series A: “multiple products in development, including COHERENCE, a sensor, detection and radar solution.” They claim to already have “deep partnerships with defense and industry.”
Founded 2022, $245 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz, 8VC, Lightspeed Ventures.
Saronic makes military autonomous surface vessels for naval and maritime forces. It identifies and tracks targets using sensors and artificial intelligence, can be orchestrated as a swarm, and integrates with a variety of weapons systems, including loitering munitions. Its vessels are “produced at scale for mass deployment.” They have 6 foot and 13 foot vessels.
Founded 2022, stealth mode, unknown seed funding from Marque Ventures.
Rangeview is an aerospace manufacturing startup, leveraging 3D printing technology and robotics. Little other information is available. Their website features a photo of a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.
Founded 2022, $158 million raised from Riot Ventures, Champion Hill Ventures, Space.VC.
True Anomaly is focused on “orbital conflict”. It provides digital models for test events, tactics validation, threat replication, and operator training, and leverages AI “from course of action (COA) recommendations to full mission autonomy.” They have AOVs in orbit and have been awarded a $17.4 million Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command. In November 2024, True Anomaly announced a $30 million contract with Space Systems Command to take part in the VICTUS HAZE demonstration.
Founded 2021, $20 raised from Sam Altman, Susa Ventures, Countdown Capital.
Beacon AI is an artificial intelligence piloting system, serving a variety of aircraft systems including government fleets, with leadership and team from military aviation backgrounds.
Founded 2021, €761.5 million raised from General Catalyst, Prima Materia, Saab and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Helsing is a defense AI company serving the full war theatre, for sea, air and land operations. It focuses on enabling existing warcrafts with artificial intelligence capabilities. Based in Germany, and serving US allies, they have contracts with Germany, France and England. The CEO has stated that Helsing is active in the war in Ukraine.
Founded 2021, $5.6 million funding from YCombinator, Space.VC, Seraphim Space.
Array Labs is a satellite company advertising worldwide collection and 10x information compared to competitors. They use clusters of satellites working together to capture 3D, high resolution imagery for military usage.
Founded 2021, $4.7 million raised from Moonshots Capital, Veteran Fund, Capital Factory.
Proteus does defense satellite design and manufacturing. It leverages 3D printing for small hardware platforms, and is designed for at-scale production. Its advisors are primarily Air Force or ex Airforce. In 2024, they announced the first “AI-designed” ESPA low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite, to be launched in 2025.
Founded 2020, $28.3 million raised from Raytheon, Decisive Point, Achieve Capital.
Firehawk makes military rocket engines for offensive and defensive missions. They leverage 3D printing – “we 3D print our rocket fuel” – and claim innovation in maneuverability, range, and shortened production times of 4-6 months at 1/10 the cost of existing solutions.
Founded 2020, $216.5 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Lux Capital.
Hadrian is building factories to manufacture precision components for the defense industry. They promise 10x faster production and a reduction by half in the cost of making weapons and warfare vehicles including rockets, satellites, jets and drones. In August 2024 acquired Datum Source, a maker of procurement software.
Founded 2020, $40.5 million raised from Lux Capital, Menlo Ventures, Capricorn.
Whisper Aero creates 100x quieter propulsion for a variety of drones, jets and military aircraft. One major use case of the reduced noise footprint is in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. In March 2024, Whisper Aero proposed its concept for a 100-seat electric regional airliner.
Founded 2020, $13.1 million raised from Alumni Ventures, Initialized Capital, Starburst Ventures.
Pico is command and control for autonomous systems, at global scale. Their platform connects these systems and provides unified view and operations for “the ultimate mission platform”. Picogrid has secured a $950 million Air Force contract. In 2024, Picogrid was selected by Space Force through the “Rapid, Resilient Command and Control (R2C2) program, aimed at enhancing command and control infrastructure for satellite systems.”
Founded 2020, $39.1 million raised from Cantos, Boost VC, Draper Associates.
Venus Aerospace is building engines for hypersonic planes at Mach 9 speed; “The US and global allies have an immediate and urgent need for hypersonic technology.” Its initial aircraft is the Venus Stargaze, “Earth’s first hypersonic, reusable aircraft” operating at 170,000 feet.
Venus Aerospace successfully completed the inaugural flight of its supersonic flight test drone in February 2024.
Founded in 2020, $141 million raised from Founders Fund, Lux Capital, General Catalyst.
Varda provides hypersonic flight testing for the military. Its orbital capsule enters the atmosphere at 18,000 miles per hour, achieving high Mach speeds. The ultimate mission is to advance manufacturing in space, and “establish the first scaled industrial operations off our home planet.”
Founded 2019, public company traded under NYSEMKT:UMAC.
Unusual Machines makes drone components, aiming to reduce reliance on China in favor of American manufacturing. In 2024 Unusual Machines acquired Fat Shark, which makes video goggles for drone pilots, and Rotor Riot, an e-commerce platform for drones. Following the election, Unusual Machines appointed Donald Trump Jr. to its board, causing the stock to rise over 100%.
Founded 2019, $153.8 million raised from Founders Fund, Andreessen Horowitz.
Radiant is a portable nuclear reactor for military sites and installations. Hundreds of the reactors can be connected to their monitoring software. They secured a $3.8 million award from the Department of Defense as part of its efforts to “develop advanced energy conversion methods that can be applicable to warfighters of the modern era and the rapidly evolving energy landscape of the battlefield.”
Founded 2019, unknown funds raised from YCombinator, J2 Ventures, RRE Ventures.
Ravn is creating a heads-up display for soldiers that displays video feeds from cameras attached to military guns, drones and robots. Ravn is currently in stealth mode; little additional information available.
Founded 2019, $27 million raised from 8VC, Veteran Ventures Capital.
Cambian creates unmanned aerial vehicles and optical systems for pilots, leveraging modern materials to replace existing ageing systems. Their drones are designed to withstand heat, fire and ballistic impact. They are partnered with the US Navy and have a development contract with the Department of Defense.
Founded 2019, $8.6 million raised from Lux Capital, RSE Ventures.
Performance Drone Works is a new drone manufacturer. Differentiators include portable and packable drones, performance in extreme, rugged and contested environments, dynamic military targeting and scale to the tactical-level unit. In November 2024, Performance Drone Works drones were selected – along with Anduril – to supply the U.S. Army with small unmanned aircraft systems through the Replicator program. The Replicator program is “aimed at rapidly putting thousands of drones in the hands of the military.”
Rebellion Defense
Founded 2019, $150 million raised from Eric Schmidt, Insight Ventures, Shield Capital, Pallas Ventures.
Rebellion creates software platforms for warfighters. This includes real-time threat identification, mission planning and battle management optimization. In May 2024 Rebellion Defense was selected by the US Air Force to “strengthen cyber resilience of mission applications.” Rebellion Defense was also awarded a contract by the US Navy to “enhance target recognition.”
Founded 2018, $216 million raised from Founders Fund, In-Q-Tel, Sam Altman.
Hermeus is developing autonomous Mach 5 aircraft, and works with the US Air Force and NASA. Hermeus is trying to beat the 50-year airspeed record and reach Mach 4+ speeds, above 3,000 miles per hour. In 2024, Hermeus launched its first aircraft, the Quarterhorse Mk 1.
Founded 2018, $75k raised from Shield Capital, 8VC, Booz Allen.
Reveal AI creates battlefield AI that can be integrated onto drones and other warcrafts, manned or unmanned, and supports a number of Department of Defense’s unmanned aerial vehicles. It is partnered with the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and the US Air Force. It can bring together feeds from multiple drones to produce a unified “pane of glass”.
Founded 2018, $34 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz, Spark Capital.
Air Space Intelligence creates AI for complex military air operations. It features predictive awareness, real time data communication, a unified operating picture and visualization.
Founded 2018, $111.4 million raised from Moonshots Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Disney Accelerator, US Air Force.
RED 6 develops augmented reality technology for the military. Their technology has been used by the Air Force to train fighter pilots against virtual enemy warplanes. Their mission is “a future in which all warfighters across all domains are connected together in a joint augmented battlespace.” On the battlefield, they offer a headset for augmented reality with a full-color, wide view, high resolution display. In July 2024, the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom awarded a contract to BAE Systems to “conduct an in-flight demonstration of the RED 6 Advanced Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS).”
Founded 2018, $2.4 million raised from Scout Ventures, Techstars.
Acquired 2023, AeroVironment.
Tomahawk makes systems that support unmanned systems from many manufacturers, bringing together an AI-powered “single pane of glass”. Its products include controllers, data links, and edge devices. It integrates with products from Booz Allen Hamilton, Raytheon and others.
Founded 2018, $14.2 million raised from Khosla Ventures, Initialized Capital, Kindred Ventures.
Adyton provides mobile solutions for the battlefield and front line. Use cases include managing military personnel in the field, coordinating battlefield action, and data collection and analysis. It was a finalist in a US Air Force Initiative to create the “base of the future” and is used by the Army and Marines.
Founded 2018, $287.6 million raised from 8VC, Bedrock, General Dynamics Land Systems.
Epirus builds counter-drone and counter-drone swarm systems, using high-power microwaves for precision strikes. It can also be used to counter electronics systems in other vehicles and vessels on the battlefield. It has a $66 million contract with the US Army, which was increased by an additional $17 million in 2024.
Founded 2018, $37.5 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz, Dell Technologies.
Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, Toka focuses on intelligence technology and covert operations, enabling intelligence agencies and militaries to “operate covertly and leave behind minimal-to-zero signs of infection, infiltration and reconnaissance”.
Founded 2018, $43.8 million raised from Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Techstars.
Orbit Fab focuses on space refueling of military assets and spacecraft like satellites, space stations, war planes and rockets. They work closely with the US military and Air Force.
In 2024, Orbit Fab received a $1.9 million grant from the UK Space Agency. Also in 2024, Astroport Space Technologies and Orbit Fab announced that they are entering into “a strategic partnership to accelerate the development of lunar infrastructure and enable sustainable long-term space exploration”.
Founded 2017, $901.5 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, Lux.
Applied Intuition provides war gaming and training software simulations. It enables the military to create and game a variety of battlefield scenarios, especially with regard to unmanned ground vehicles. In October 2024, Applied Intuition acquired Ghost Autonomy’s patent portfolio which includes autonomous driving software, for an undisclosed amount.
Founded 2017, $3.7 billion raised from Andreessen Horowitz, In-Q-Tel, Founders Fund.
Anduril delivers a new vision of warfare, based on autonomous vehicles for land and sea, mass-scale lethal drone warfare, and AI-enabled battlefield intelligence. They are the biggest and most important VC-backed weapons startup, and have over 3,500 employees.
In 2024, Anduril engaged in many projects and contracts. It was selected by the US Navy to develop a Counter Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) Engagement System (CES). The Defense Department selected Anduril’s Ghost-X aerial drones for mass production. Anduril and South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai have said they’re teaming up to “reimagine and expand American and allied seapower”. Oracle and Anduril have partnered to deliver “AI-powered defense solutions from the datacenter to the tactical edge”. The Taiwan Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with the U.S. government, permitting procurement for as many as 1,000 “attack drones” via Anduril and AeroVironment. Taiwan is a key part of the supply chain for artificial intelligence development and has been an ongoing site of tension in the ongoing US/China cold war.
Founded 2017, $1.4 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Coatue.
Starburst is a startup accelerator and strategic advisory practice for military startups. Their portfolio includes over 140 startups it has seed funded. It facilitates contracts from the military and venture funds from larger venture firms to fast-track the development and growth of defense startups. It is partnered with Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Starburst is also partnered with IAI North America, part of Israel Aerospace Industries, to “foster cutting-edge technological growth in the aerospace and defense industries by investing in startups trying to break into the market”.
Skyways
Founded 2017, $16.1 million raised from YCombinator, Starburst Accelerator.
Skyways is an AI-powered unmanned cargo aircraft. They come in four models with different sizes, ranges and weight capacity to reduce load carried by troops and transport military cargo.
Founded 2016, $2.6 billion raised from Founders Fund, YCombinator, Spark Capital.
Scale AI is artificial intelligence and machine learning for defense and government. Use cases include intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and autonomous military vehicles and weapons systems. It is currently used by the US Air Force, the US Army, the White House, the Defense Innovation Unit, and Shield AI, another weapons startup. In October 2024, Scale AI was sued under allegations they violated federal and state laws in terminating workers without advance notice. In November 2024, RE:AI partnered with Scale AI to offer Asia Pacific enterprises their generative AI technologies.
Founded 2016, $239 million raised from DCVC, Spark Capital, US Innovative Technology Fund.
Cappella Space creates Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites for earth observation surveillance. Its differentiator is visibility despite atmospheric conditions such as cloud covering. Its satellites can “capture sub-half-meter scale features and changes.” Customers include the US Air Force and the National Reconnaissance Office. Cappella has a partnership with Rocket Lab to launch its satellites. In October 2024 Capella Space was awarded a contract to participate in the Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated LEO (HALO) project from the Space Development Agency.
Founded 2016, unknown funding raised from In-Q-Tel.
Immersive Wisdom is designed to work in “Denied, Degraded, Intermittent, and Limited-Bandwidth (DDIL) environments”, “a remote collaborative ops center platform for distributed & disaggregated operations that allows geographically dispersed personnel to effectively work together and act without having to be physically present, even in severely bandwidth-limited environments, using existing desktops and laptops.” They are contracted by the US Air Force.
Founded 2016, $49.7 million raised from Boeing, Lockheed Martin Ventures, DCVC.
Fortem builds attack drones to counter enemy drone systems. One of the main platforms is the DroneHunter F700, as well as the “SkyDome System” for drone defense that is already in use at military bases. It is also deployed in prisons and correctional facilities.
Founded 2016, $2.6 million funding from YCombinator, DCVC, Soma Capital.
ApolloShield creates counter-drone technology. Its products include RF sensors, a RF gun that blocks autonomous drones, and a software command center. Sales for many products are limited to the United States government.
Founded 2016, $55.4 million raised from In-Q-Tel, Starburst Accelerator, Allied Minds.
Orbital Sidekick creates hyperspectral, AI satellites for persistent monitoring. It offers situational awareness with high resolution and georectified hyperspectral intelligence data. Intrusion detection can track targets and troop movement, and pick up camouflage, chemical weapon and plume signatures. Orbital Sidekick released “first-light imagery” from two of its hyperspectral satellites in April 2024.
Founded 2016, $4.5 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz.
Shift is a “military talent exchange for America”, focused on integrating military personnel into startups or VC firms for fellowships; these programs have brought intelligence officers, active military, special forces, and other “warfighters” into venture capital firms and accelerator and defense startups.
Founded 2015, $1.1 billion raised from Andreessen Horowitz, US Innovative Technology Fund.
ShieldAI creates battlefield, autonomous drone swarms and aircraft systems, with the strategic emphasis on AI piloting. It envisions warfare with “AI pilots powering every military asset: aircraft, drones, ships, satellites and submarines.” In July 2024, Shield AI's V-BAT was given a $198 million contract from the US Coast Guard for maritime unmanned aircraft system services. In August 2024, Haivision announced a partnership with Shield AI for “full-motion video with AI object detection for defense and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) applications.”
Founded 2015, $237 million raised from Lux Capital, In-Q-Tel, DCVC.
Primer is a military AI company “for the next-generation warfighter”, creating AI for mission planning, asset tracking and intelligence operations, as well as real-time threat detection from social media and news data. It builds solutions to bridge classified and public information obtained via surveillance. It is partnered with Palantir.
Founded 2015, $70.6 million raised from In-Q-Tel, Yuga Labs, Epic Games.
Hadean is creating “the Military Metaverse”; here the focus is on integration of AR/VR in the battlefield, as well as war-gaming and training. Hadean “enables users to rapidly create and explore courses-of-action, distributed across participants in geographically dispersed locations, leveraging open architecture to integrate incumbent and 3rd party systems, AI and datasets for scenario configuration.” It was reported in February 2024 that Hadean was contracted “to develop and scale a complex and representative synthetic human terrain for British Army simulations.”
Founded 2015, $329.7 million raised from In-Q-Tel, TPG and SAP National Security Services.
Sayari has a strong focus on borders, leveraging surveillance of global public data to help its military customers analyze “rogue regime governments” and “transnational organized criminal networks.” It is used by a number of military and defense agencies including the Department of Defense, the U.S. Intelligence Community, the Department of Homeland Security, and US Customs and Border Protection.
Founded 2015, $2.8 million raised from Decisive Point, Veteran Ventures Capital.
Asylon creates AI-powered robots and drones for military bases and other military installations. Its air and ground robotics platform is called DroneCore, and features mission planning, sensor integration, real-time analytics and video management. In July 2024, Asylon announced that 100,000 missions had been completed with its DroneDog™ systems.
Founded 2015, $412.3 million raised from Silicon Valley Bank, Lockheed Martin Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Blackrock.
Hawkeye 360 offers software solutions to map radio frequencies from space using its satellite network. The company operates 30 satellites in orbit providing global coverage for their clients in the defense and maritime industries.
Founded 2014, $740 million raised from Andreessen Horowitz, Axon, Accel, NVIDIA.
Skydio manufactures drones that use AI to fly and avoid objects autonomously, are equipped with thermal imaging, forward looking infrared, GPS, and integrate with other battlefield tech. In 2024 it was reported that Skydio has partnered with several entities including Aeroarc, KDDI and Axon for various ventures.
Founded 2014, $199 million raised from Northrop Grumman, Lux Capital, Bill Gates.
Ecodyne creates radar systems for the military. These systems are used for drone detection and counter-drone measures, base and border security, and radar in remote locations: “fast and accurate data to maintain optical lock on target for identification and the accuracy and reliability required for target acquisition and fire control solutions.”
Founded 2014, $58 million raised from DCVC, Union Grove Venture Partners, Ajax.
Descartes Labs is a geospatial intelligence company for detecting patterns in the physical world. It gives military and intelligence agencies analytics and insight over large amounts of data, addressing ground surface movement, geopolitical engagements, crisis response, and threat forecasting. It is partnered with DARPA and the Air Force Research Laboratory. In October 2024 EarthDaily Analytics acquired Descartes Labs for an undisclosed amount.
Founded 2014, $207.5 million raised from Ycombinator, 8VC, United States Air Force.
Boom manufactures supersonic planes for the military and defense, along with a commercial component; they are working with Northrop Grumman and have a strategic partnership with the United States Air Force. They also have a Defense Advisory Board which consists of a number of retired generals of the Air Force.
Founded 2014, $1.9 million raised from Decisive Point, Catapult Ventures.
Flightwave makes military tricopters for surveillance and reconnaissance. It weighs less than 4 pounds and can be assembled and deployed in 60 seconds. They have procurement contracts with the Department of Defense, facilitated by the Defense Innovation Unit.
Founded 2013, seed funding raised from Resolute Ventures, Social Starts.
Onai focuses on artificial intelligence, cryptographic technologies and machine learning. They have won and completed projects for DARPA and NASA.
Founded 2013, $222 million raised from Founders Fund, Joe Lonsdale, YCombinator.
Gecko creates robots that monitor and evaluate critical infrastructure like missile silos, tanks and military ships. They have been contracted by the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, implementing “capability to rapidly assess concrete and steel liners in Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launch facilities.”
Founded 2012, $189.5 million raised from Lux Capital, Google, Eric Schmidt.
Saildrone makes unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for ocean military operations. They focus on maritime borders. Their products purport to “out-sense, out-decide, and out-fight any adversary”. In March 2024 it was reported that Saildrone’s first aluminum Surveyor autonomous vessel was undergoing Navy testing. In April 2024, Thales Australia and Saildrone partnered on autonomous anti-submarine warfare.
Founded 2012, unknown funding raised from Decisive Point and Lockheed Martin Ventures.
EpiSci is a software platform for drone swarms, tactical fighter aircraft and other aerial systems. They announced a contract with the US Air Force in 2023, for “heterogeneous swarms of uncrewed aircraft in contested environments under denied communication and navigation conditions.”
Founded 2012, $48.5 million raised from Founders Fund, Marque Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank.
GoTenna is a command and control system, leveraging mobile tactical communications for combat operations in off-grid zones. It includes software-integrated hardware solutions that “enhance command-level decision-making and teamwide situational awareness with access to real-time soldier information…[including in] caves, tunnels and underground structures.” In October 2024, GoTenna was given a 16-month follow-on contract with the U.S. Navy.