Fundraising Fox

Visionary Machines

Sydney, AU · Founded 2019 · 23 employees on LinkedIn · 7 known investors

Find your way into Visionary Machines

285 people in our graph share verified history with the Visionary Machines team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Glen Ramersanunlockedknows Samson Lee · together at University of Technology Sydney (overlapped)
×7knows the team · via University of Technology Sydney
×4knows the team · via undp

Visionary Machines develops passive optical sensing systems that produce real-time, georeferenced 3D representations of the environment across multiple spectral bands, including in GPS-denied conditions. Its technology serves defence, government, and commercial sectors for applications such as counter-drone detection, off-road autonomous navigation, and surveillance and reconnaissance.

AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDefense TechRobotics

Founders & leadership

Visionary Machines was founded in 2019 by Samson Lee.

SLSamson Lee
Samson LeeinFounder & Chief Technology OfficerSamson Lee has spent over 15 years working on computer vision, imaging, and streaming media projects in Sydney and New York, with experience across research and product development phases including design, development, and quality assurance. He is founder and CTO of Visionary Machines, which develops passive optical sensing systems for 3D environmental mapping in GPS-denied conditions.
SFSonny Foster
Sonny FosterinChief Executive Officer
NGNick Gibbs
Nick GibbsinChief Operating Officer

Investors · 7

Folklore Ventures✓ verifiedSydney
In-Q-TelTysons · $100K – $2.5M
OIF VenturesDouble Bay · $165K – $3.3M
Our Innovation Fund
Salus Ventures
Significant VenturesCanberra
Thorney Investment GroupreportedMelbourne

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$11M disclosed across 2 rounds · 2021–2025

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

Founder mafia

3 people who came through Visionary Machines went on to found or lead other companies.

Alister ColemanInvestor, Non-Executive DirectorFounded Shipping EasyDan BennettInvestor and Board ObserverFounded SafewillKen KroegerDirectorFounded Seeing Machines

In the news

Drone technology start-up Visionary Machines seeks ASX landingafr.com · Jun 2026Visionary Machines locks in $3.5 million to sharpen its optical tech - Startup Dailystartupdaily.net · Jul 2025CIA-backed Visionary Machines banks $3.5 million as defence tech heats up — Capital Briefcapitalbrief.com · Jul 2025Visionary Machines Closes $3.5m Round​ - Visionary Machinesvisionarymachines.com · Jul 20253D computer vision startup Visionary Machines raises $7.5 million seed round led by Folklore Ventures - Startup Dailystartupdaily.net · Jul 2021IT Startup Visionary Machines Raises $7.5 mln In Seed Funding - Grit Daily Newsgritdaily.com · Jul 2021

Frequently asked questions

What does Visionary Machines do?
Visionary Machines develops passive optical sensing systems that produce real-time, georeferenced 3D representations of the environment across multiple spectral bands, including in GPS-denied conditions. Its technology serves defence, government, and commercial sectors for applications such as counter-drone detection, off-road autonomous navigation, and surveillance and reconnaissance.
Who founded Visionary Machines?
Visionary Machines was founded by Samson Lee in 2019.
Who are Visionary Machines's investors?
Visionary Machines's investors include Folklore Ventures, In-Q-Tel, OIF Ventures, Our Innovation Fund, Salus Ventures, Significant Ventures, Thorney Investment Group.
How much funding has Visionary Machines raised?
Visionary Machines has disclosed $11M raised across 2 rounds.
Where is Visionary Machines headquartered?
Visionary Machines is headquartered in Sydney, AU.