Defense Tech Startups

Anduril builds autonomous systems and software for defense and military applications, including attack aviation, unmanned aircraft, and underwater vehicles, unified by an autonomy platform. It also operates its own defense manufacturing facility.

100 investors

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.

51 investors

Axiom Space develops commercial space stations and provides access to low-Earth orbit microgravity environments for research, manufacturing, and innovation by governments, researchers, and organizations.

47 investors

Saronic builds autonomous surface vessels — including the 180-foot, long-range Marauder — along with Echelon, a command-and-control software layer for planning, simulating and operating single vessels or fleets. The company targets defense and commercial maritime customers and is developing Port Alpha, a shipyard for producing its vessels in the United States.

41 investors

Relativity Space designs, builds, and launches rockets, including Terran 1 (a 3D-printed rocket) and Terran R, a reusable medium-heavy lift launch vehicle. The company uses a vertically integrated approach combining 3D printing, AI, and autonomous robotics to manufacture launch vehicles with fewer parts.

37 investors

Impulse Space develops in-space mobility infrastructure and spacecraft, enabling transportation and logistics between Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars. The company serves commercial, defense, and scientific customers seeking reliable and affordable orbital mobility solutions.

29 investors

Loft Orbital operates space infrastructure, providing satellites equipped with sensing resources, onboard edge compute, and connectivity that let customers run missions without deploying their own hardware. It serves commercial and government customers, including national security stakeholders, through virtual missions on its satellite constellation.

27 investors

Turion Space builds space infrastructure spanning maneuverable spacecraft, mission planning software, and orbital logistics such as refueling and servicing, with capabilities for space domain awareness and rendezvous proximity operations. The company also develops technology aimed at extracting resources by mining near-Earth asteroids.

27 investors

Zeno develops nuclear batteries that convert heat from decaying radioisotopes into electricity for extended-duration applications in space and deep-sea environments where conventional power sources are inadequate. The batteries are designed for frontier missions requiring reliable power without refueling or maintenance for years.

24 investors

Skyryse develops SkyOS, a flight-control operating system that simplifies aircraft operation through automated maneuvers, emergency management, and optionally piloted or autonomous flight. Its technology applies across aircraft and helicopters and serves customers including the U.S. military, law enforcement, private operators, and emergency medical and disaster response.

23 investors

Array Labs develops radar technology for aerospace and other leading industries. The company focuses on systems engineering, software development, and radar systems innovation.

22 investors

Mach Industries designs and manufactures defense systems including unmanned aerial systems, precision munitions, high-altitude surveillance platforms, and propulsion testing capabilities for military applications.

22 investors

True Anomaly designs and builds hardware and software systems for space security and defense. The company serves military and government space forces with technologies for on-orbit operations and counterspace capabilities.

22 investors

Vatn designs and manufactures low-cost, modular autonomous underwater vehicles with proprietary autonomy, navigation, and control software for undersea ISR, logistics, sensing, and payload delivery missions. Its systems are used by defense, research, and commercial customers, including U.S. DoD and NATO partners operating in contested maritime environments.

22 investors

Albedo develops a flight-proven platform for Very Low Earth Orbit operations, providing satellite-based insights and connectivity services for national security and critical infrastructure systems. The company focuses on making space infrastructure operationally viable and resilient.

21 investors

Hadrian operates AI-powered precision manufacturing factories for the aerospace and defense industrial base, producing precision components and offering manufacturing capacity as a service. Its Opus platform interprets legacy designs and automates production and inspection while training factory technicians, serving U.S. defense and industrial customers.

21 investors

REGENT designs and manufactures Seaglider wing-in-ground-effect aircraft for regional coastal transportation and defense logistics, offering high-speed zero-emission travel between coastal cities and military applications.

21 investors

Quantum Systems designs and manufactures electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) unmanned aerial systems for military, defense, and commercial customers to collect aerial intelligence and real-time mission-critical data. The company develops hardware and software integrated platforms for geospatial operations, security, and situational awareness across government and private sectors.

20 investors

Reality Defender develops an AI platform for detecting deepfakes and synthetic media, serving enterprise organizations to prevent fraud and impersonation. The company offers multimodal detection capabilities through an API and SDK for developers.

20 investors

Eclypsium provides hardware and firmware security solutions for enterprises to identify and address vulnerabilities in chips, low-level code, and digital supply chains. The company delivers actionable tools and research to help organizations build trust in critical infrastructure code and devices.

19 investors

goTenna builds mesh networking hardware and software for off-grid connectivity in mission-critical operations. The platform enables location tracking, collaborative mapping, and encrypted messaging for tactical and emergency response teams.

19 investors

Venus Aerospace develops rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) technology and a detonation ramjet system for space, defense, and commercial high-speed and hypersonic flight. The company designs propulsion systems intended to scale across a range of performance requirements.

19 investors

Castelion designs and manufactures low-cost, mass-producible hypersonic strike weapons and defensive systems for U.S. national security and defense customers such as the U.S. Navy. The company vertically integrates core technologies with an emphasis on manufacturability, rapid iteration, and high-volume production.

18 investors

Inversion develops spacecraft and systems to establish Low-Earth Orbit as an on-demand logistics network for rapid global transportation and defense applications. The company manufactures reentry vehicles and related hardware to enable cargo transportation across Earth via space.

18 investors