/Companies

Shield AI

San Diego, US · Founded 2015 · Delaware corporation · 58 known investors

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Shield AI develops AI pilot systems for military applications including aircraft, drones, ships, satellites, and submarines. The company serves the U.S. Department of Defense and allied nations.

Founders & leadership

Shield AI was founded in 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, and Andrew Reiter.

BTBrandon Tseng
Brandon TsengFounderCo-founder and President of Shield AI, a venture-backed company that develops AI pilot systems for military applications—including aircraft, drones, ships, satellites, and submarines—serving the U.S. Department of Defense and allied nations.
RTRyan Tseng
Ryan TsengFounderPresident, Co-Founder, and Chief Strategy Officer of Shield AI, which develops AI pilot systems for military platforms such as aircraft, drones, ships, satellites, and submarines, serving the U.S. Department of Defense and allied nations.
ARAndrew Reiter
Andrew ReiterFounderCo-founder of Shield AI, which develops AI pilot systems for military platforms such as aircraft, drones, ships, satellites, and submarines. He is an engineer with a background in robotics and autonomous systems, focusing on systems engineering, SLAM, and compute optimization.
KAKingsley Afemikhe
Kingsley AfemikheChief Financial OfficerKingsley Afemikhe is CFO of Shield AI, which develops AI pilot systems for military applications, and has held financial leadership roles in AI and electric mobility companies including Xos Trucks. He holds an engineering degree from the University of Birmingham and a master's in management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and his experience spans fundraising, capital structure, and M&A.
GS
Gary SteeleChief Executive Officer

Board

KD
Keith DunleavyBoard director
AB
Andrew BerlinBoard director
PLPeter Levine
Peter LevineBoard directorGeneral Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
SZ
Shivon ZilisBoard directorFounding member at Bloomberg Beta
DGDaniel Gwak
Daniel GwakBoard directorManaging Partner, Head of Point 72 Private Investments at Point72 Ventures
GCGaetano Crupi
Gaetano CrupiBoard directorGeneral Partner at Prime Movers Lab
SMStephen Marcus
Stephen MarcusBoard MemberCo-Founder and General Partner at Riot Ventures

Investors · 58

Point72 Ventureslisted by Point72 VenturesNew York · $1M – $75M

How we know: a partner's Signal profile · offering press articles · the VCSheet dataset · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Blackstonereported

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DisruptivereportedDallas

How we know: a partner's Signal profile · offering press articles · Not right? Tell us

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$7B disclosed across 11 rounds · 2016–2026

▶$591.8MraisedMay 2026 · 32 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Keith DunleavyDirector
  • Andrew BerlinDirector
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Peter LevineDirector
  • Shivon ZilisDirector
  • Kingsley AfemikheExecutive Officer
  • Gary SteeleExecutive Officer, Director
  • Daniel GwakDirector
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Gaetano CrupiDirector
  • Stephen MarcusDirector
  • Doug PhilipponeDirector
  • Greg SmithDirector
Offering amount
$591.8M
Amount sold
$591.8M
First sale
Feb 2025
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$281.3MraisedJan 2024 · 21 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Andrew BerlinDirector
  • Daniel GwakDirector
  • Shivon ZilisDirector
  • Doug Stiles PhilipponeDirector
  • Peter LevineDirector
  • Stephen MarcusDirector
  • Gaetano CrupiDirector
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$305M
Amount sold
$281.3M
Proceeds to insiders
$2M
First sale
Sep 2023
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$73MraisedMay 2022 · 11 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Robert Stiles Harward, Jr.Director
  • Daniel GwakDirector
  • Peter LevineDirector
  • Doug PhilipponeDirector
  • Satya PatelDirector
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$150M
Amount sold
$73M
Proceeds to insiders
$600K
First sale
May 2022
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$52.9MraisedNov 2020 · 13 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Peter LevineDirector
  • Satya PatelDirector
  • Daniel GwakDirector
  • Robert Stiles Harward, Jr.Director
Offering amount
$75M
Amount sold
$52.9M
First sale
Oct 2020
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$22.2MraisedAug 2019 · 6 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Satya PatelDirector
  • Peter LevineDirector
  • Robert Stiles Harward, Jr.Director
Offering amount
$25M
Amount sold
$22.2M
First sale
Aug 2019
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2015
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$10MraisedDec 2018 · 5 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Robert Stiles Harward, Jr.Director
  • Satya PatelDirector
  • Andrew ReiterExecutive Officer
  • Peter LevineDirector
Offering amount
$10M
Amount sold
$10M
First sale
Dec 2018
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2015
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$10.5MraisedMar 2017 · 11 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Satya PatelDirector
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Peter LevineDirector
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Brian LoseyExecutive Officer
Offering amount
$10.5M
Amount sold
$10.5M
Proceeds to insiders
$1M
First sale
Mar 2017
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2015
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗
▶$2.6MraisedMay 2016 · 19 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)
Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
  • Andrew ReiterExecutive Officer
  • Brandon TsengExecutive Officer, Director
  • Ryan TsengExecutive Officer, Director
Offering amount
$2.6M
Amount sold
$2.6M
Proceeds to insiders
$200K
First sale
May 2016
Incorporated
Corporation, Delaware, 2015
Federal exemptions
06b
Full filing on SEC EDGAR ↗

Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.

12 people who came through Shield AI went on to found or lead other companies.

Related companies · 1

Companies working in the same space as Shield AI.

Non-dilutive funding · 5 SBIR/STTR awards

Federal grants — no equity taken
AgencyPhaseYearAmount
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase II2022$1.8M
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase II2021$749.4K
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase I2021$49.6K
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase II2020$1.5M
U.S. Air ForceAir ForcePhase I2020$43.7K

Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.

In the news

Frequently asked questions

What does Shield AI do?
Shield AI develops AI pilot systems for military applications including aircraft, drones, ships, satellites, and submarines. The company serves the U.S. Department of Defense and allied nations.
Who founded Shield AI?
Shield AI was founded by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, Andrew Reiter in 2015.
Who are Shield AI's investors?
Shield AI's investors include 515 Ventures, 645 Ventures, Advaita Capital, AF WPartners, Alpha Partners, Altra Venture, Andreessen Horowitz, Beyond Capital and 50 more.
How much funding has Shield AI raised?
Shield AI has disclosed $7B raised across 11 rounds.
Where is Shield AI headquartered?
Shield AI is headquartered in San Diego, US.