Defense Tech Startups

Apex manufactures productized satellite bus platforms at scale for constellation deployment and critical missions. The company provides standardized, configurable spacecraft designed to reduce production timelines and cost while serving U.S. and allied space operators across multiple orbital regimes.

17 investors

Havoc develops software for coordinating autonomous vehicles across air, sea, and land domains, enabling operators to supervise hundreds or thousands of autonomous assets simultaneously through a unified control platform. The company serves defense and mission-critical applications requiring resilient multi-asset autonomy in degraded communication environments.

17 investors

Hidden Level develops advanced RF (radio frequency) sensing technology for defense, aviation, and intelligence applications. The company builds critical sensing systems to enhance situational awareness and decision-making for military and civilian stakeholders.

17 investors

Onebrief develops software designed for military and defense organizations, enabling real-time collaboration and knowledge access for command and operational teams. The product integrates processes with real-time updates for defense and government use cases.

17 investors

Sakana AI develops frontier AI research and products, including large language models, multi-agent orchestration systems, and AI solutions tailored for Japanese enterprises and public sector organizations.

17 investors

Antares Industries develops nuclear reactor technology, with teams spanning nuclear, reactor hardware, and mission engineering as well as manufacturing and regulatory operations. The company works in the nuclear energy and deeptech sector.

16 investors

Capella Space designs, builds, and operates synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellations that provide all-weather, day-and-night Earth observation imagery at sub-0.25m resolution. It offers an automated end-to-end tasking and data delivery platform serving defense and intelligence, maritime, disaster response, and infrastructure monitoring customers.

16 investors

Epirus develops high-power microwave systems and electronic warfare technology for defense applications, including counter-unmanned aircraft systems for the U.S. military. The company serves government defense agencies and offers contracting vehicles and prototype solutions for advanced defense capabilities.

16 investors

ICEYE operates a satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system that delivers persistent, real-time monitoring and damage assessment data globally. The company serves governments, insurers, and disaster response organizations seeking actionable intelligence for national security, natural disaster response, and risk evaluation.

16 investors

Scout develops Fury, a multimodal foundation model for defense robotics that lets operators command fleets of heterogeneous ground, air, sea, and space robots via natural language and coordinate them autonomously. The company builds hardware-agnostic embodied AI intended for the US military and defense-ecosystem partners.

16 investors

Allen Control Systems develops autonomous precision weapon systems designed to counter unmanned aerial threats for military and allied forces. The company specializes in counter-drone technologies and autonomous systems for modern warfare applications.

15 investors

Chaos Inc. develops portable radar systems and unmanned aerial system (UAS) detection technology for defense applications, offering efficient multi-target tracking and rapid deployment capabilities.

15 investors

Pyka designs and manufactures autonomous electric aircraft along with the underlying flight control software, avionics, motors, batteries, and carbon-fiber airframes. Its planes serve cargo transport and agricultural crop protection customers across four continents and have received FAA regulatory approvals.

15 investors

Ursa Major develops flight-proven aerospace and defense systems, including hypersonic engines, solid rocket motors, and space mobility solutions for military and defense applications. The company combines additive manufacturing with rapid development to deliver systems for land, sea, air, and space domains.

15 investors

Cognitive Space develops AI-driven automation software for satellite operations, enabling constellation operators to scale while meeting operational requirements. The platform serves satellite operators and government agencies managing distributed space systems.

14 investors

Second Front delivers software solutions to government and allied democracies to accelerate access to emerging technologies. The company operates as a public-benefit corporation focused on strengthening global security through improved technology acquisition and deployment.

14 investors

Slingshot provides real-time operational intelligence and autonomous coordination software for space operations, serving defense, commercial, and sovereign operators. The company transforms sensor data into actionable intelligence to enable faster decision-making and autonomous action in space.

14 investors

Astra provides dedicated orbital launch services and manufactures electric propulsion systems for satellites. The company serves government and commercial customers seeking responsive space access and on-orbit satellite operations.

13 investors

Dragos provides cybersecurity software, threat intelligence, and professional services to protect operational technology (OT), IT, and IoT assets in industrial environments. The company serves critical infrastructure operators in sectors including energy, manufacturing, water, and gas utilities.

13 investors

Ethos Systems provides an AI-driven training platform that delivers personalized, role-specific learning content and ties training to performance data for readiness measurement. It serves defense and other demanding operators, operating across commercial and classified networks for public- and private-sector use.

13 investors

Firehawk Aerospace manufactures solid rocket motors, energetic materials, and propellant using additive (3D printing) manufacturing to produce propellant grains and hybrid rocket engine components. It serves the U.S. defense sector, aiming to modernize propulsion supply chains for military applications.

13 investors

Forterra develops autonomous weapons, sensors, and battlefield systems using distributed control networks for defense operations. The company also operates in commercial sectors including autonomous transit buses, yard trucks, and agricultural vehicles.

13 investors

Harmattan AI develops autonomous systems for military and defense forces, focused on coordinating groups of autonomous platforms across operations and delivering payloads such as electronic warfare systems. It works with national defense clients, including programs with France and Morocco.

13 investors

Hermeus is a high-speed aircraft manufacturer developing unmanned, hypersonic aircraft for defense and national security missions. The company works with the Department of War and other government organizations to deliver advanced aerospace capabilities.

13 investors