🛡️
27 of 89 companies founded since 2022
The defense tech boom is brand new — most of these companies didn’t exist 4 years ago
🚀
$2.0B raised by Saronic in ~2 years
Founded in 2022, Saronic became one of the fastest defense startups to reach unicorn status
🎯
12 companies backed by a16z
Andreessen Horowitz is the most active investor in this dataset, spanning drones to hypersonics
🇪🇺
16 European cos across 8 countries
European defense sovereignty is driving a new wave of homegrown defense tech startups
⚡
8 companies focused on counter-drone
Counter-UAS is the hottest niche — from AI-guided guns to directed energy lasers
📡
22 of 89 are software-first
Unlike old defense, modern startups lead with AI and software before hardware
Top 10 Most-Funded Companies
Capital by Category
Capital by Country
Most Active Investors
Founded Year vs Total Raised
Excludes TEKEVER (est. 2001)
Data Quality & Breakdown
63
Verified
17
Partial
9
Unverified
Region Split
Hardware vs Software
Hardware Heavy
51
Software Only
14
Software Heavy
8
Mixed
13
Capital Treemap — Relative Funding Size
All Companies
| # | QualityQ | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 Anduril Industries Defense technology platform building autonomous systems, Lattice OS, and unmanned fighter jets | $4.7B | |
| 2 | 🇺🇸 Shield AI AI pilot systems for autonomous military aircraft operations | $2.0B | |
| 3 | 🇺🇸 Saronic Technologies Autonomous surface vessels for naval operations and maritime security | $1.8B | |
| 4 | 🇺🇸 Stoke Space Fully reusable launch vehicles (Nova rocket) for national security and commercial space access | $860M | |
| 5 | 🇺🇸 Skydio Largest US drone manufacturer — autonomous X10D drones for military ISR, with $52M+ US Army order and NATO deployments | $856M | |
| 6 | 🇩🇪 Helsing AI-powered defense software and drone systems for European militaries | $720M EUR 600M | |
| 7 | 🇺🇸 Forterra Autonomous ground vehicles and logistics systems for defense | $556M | |
| 8 | 🇺🇸 Astranis Small GEO broadband satellites for defense comms and resilient GPS — Space Force and NASA contracts | $550M | |
| 9 | 🇺🇸 CHAOS Industries Advanced sensing and detection systems for military applications | $510M | |
| 10 | 🇵🇹 TEKEVER Defense drones and aerospace systems for ISR and maritime patrol | $500M GBP 400M | |
| 11 | 🇺🇸 Onebrief AI-powered military operations planning and decision support platform | $486M | |
| 12 | 🇩🇪 Quantum Systems AI-powered reconnaissance and strike UAVs deployed by NATO forces in Ukraine | $408M EUR 340M | |
| 13 | 🇺🇸 Apex Standardized satellite bus manufacturing for defense and space, ~2/3 defense revenue | $400M | |
| 14 | 🇺🇸 K2 Space High-capability satellite buses for defense, commercial, and scientific space operators | $360M | |
| 15 | 🇺🇸 Castelion Rapid manufacturing of hypersonic and supersonic defense systems | $350M | |
| 16 | 🇺🇸 Hermeus Autonomous hypersonic aircraft for the US DoD targeting Mach 5+ speeds | $350M | |
| 17 | 🇺🇸 Varda Space Industries Space manufacturing and hypersonic re-entry testbed for DoD — proven orbital return capability | $329M | |
| 18 | 🇺🇸 Impulse Space In-space mobility vehicles for satellite repositioning and defense missions, partnering with Anduril | $300M | |
| 19 | 🇺🇸 True Anomaly Space security and orbital awareness using autonomous spacecraft | $260M | |
| 20 | 🇺🇸 Hadrian AI-powered automated factories manufacturing precision parts for defense and space | $260M | |
| 21 | 🇺🇸 Epirus Directed-energy systems (Leonidas) to counter drone swarms and protect critical assets | $250M | |
| 22 | 🇬🇧 Cambridge Aerospace Skyhammer and Starhammer missiles for drone and missile interception — building European Iron Dome-like capability | $216M | |
| 23 | 🇺🇸 Roark Aerospace Counter-drone hardware systems at scale for military defense | $210M | |
| 24 | 🇪🇸 PLD Space Europe's leading private launch vehicle company building MIURA 5 rocket for sovereign European space access | $209M EUR 180M | |
| 25 | 🇺🇸 Harmattan AI Autonomous systems and AI for defense operations | $200M | |
| 26 | 🇩🇪 Isar Aerospace European sovereign launch vehicle company providing independent orbit access for defense satellites | $174M EUR 150M | |
| 27 | 🇫🇮 ICEYE World's largest commercial SAR satellite constellation for defense intelligence and disaster monitoring | $163M EUR 150M | |
| 28 | 🇺🇸 Govini Data analytics and AI platform for defense acquisition and supply chain | $150M | |
| 29 | 🇺🇸 HawkEye 360 Satellite constellation detecting and geolocating radio-frequency signals for intelligence and domain awareness | $150M | |
| 30 | 🇺🇸 Overland AI Autonomous ground vehicles for off-road military missions — DARPA RACER, Marine Corps NMESIS, Army RCV programs | $142M | |
| 31 | 🇺🇸 Defense Unicorns Open-source software for secure defense DevSecOps and deployment | $136M | |
| 32 | 🇺🇸 Armada Relocatable ruggedized modular AI data centers (Leviathan) for defense edge computing in contested environments | $131M | |
| 33 | 🇺🇸 Auterion AI-enabled autonomous operating software for drone and robotic platforms deployed in Ukraine and by Pentagon | $130M | |
| 34 | 🇫🇷 Unseenlabs Maritime surveillance satellite constellation detecting vessel RF signals for defense and maritime security | $125M EUR 107M | |
| 35 | 🇺🇸 Slingshot Aerospace Space domain awareness and orbital wargaming AI — Space Force contracts for GPS jamming detection and adversary simulation | $120M | |
| 36 | 🇺🇸 Performance Drone Works Autonomous drone systems for military reconnaissance and operations | $110M | |
| 37 | 🇺🇸 Saildrone Autonomous surface vessels for naval surveillance, maritime ISR, and ocean intelligence deployed with NATO and US Navy | $110M | |
| 38 | 🇺🇸 Ursa Major Rocket propulsion systems for defense and commercial space applications | $100M | |
| 39 | 🇺🇸 Mach Industries Unmanned systems manufacturing for defense applications | $100M | |
| 40 | 🇺🇸 Cambium Advanced materials and manufacturing for munitions and defense systems | $100M | |
| 41 | 🇺🇸 Hidden Level Drone detection and airspace awareness systems for military and homeland security | $100M | |
| 42 | 🇮🇱 Heven AeroTech Hydrogen-powered long-range high-payload drones for defense and commercial — Israel's first defense tech unicorn | $100M | |
| 43 | 🇺🇸 HavocAI Maritime autonomy and AI systems for naval defense operations | $85M | |
| 44 | 🇺🇸 Vector Attritable military drones manufactured at scale, including fiber-optic FPV systems | $81M | |
| 45 | 🇺🇸 Vatn Systems Largest US autonomous underwater vehicle manufacturer — Skelmir AUV platforms with GPS-free navigation | $77M | |
| 46 | 🇺🇸 Nominal Real-time hardware test and telemetry platform used by Anduril, Shield AI, and the US Air Force | $75M | |
| 47 | 🇺🇸 Neros FPV military strike drones (Archer) with EW-resistant capabilities shipped to Ukraine and US DoD | $75M | |
| 48 | 🇮🇳 Digantara Space surveillance and missile detection using space-based infrared sensors and AI analytics | $65M | |
| 49 | 🇺🇸 Blue Water Autonomy Fully autonomous crew-less warships designed to operate for months across open ocean for US Navy | $64M | |
| 50 | 🇺🇸 Seneca Autonomous drones and robotics for defense missions | $60M | |
| 51 | 🇺🇸 Clearspeed Voice-based risk assessment and screening technology for defense and security | $60M | |
| 52 | 🇪🇸 Destinus Hypersonic hydrogen-powered aircraft for defense and cargo transport | $60M EUR 50M | |
| 53 | 🇺🇸 Firestorm Labs Mobile drone manufacturing in shipping containers (xCell) and modular UAS for expeditionary defense operations | $60M | |
| 54 | 🇺🇸 Rivet Industries Frontline defense hardware and systems | $58M | |
| 55 | 🇺🇸 Valinor Defense technology solutions | $54M | |
| 56 | 🇩🇪 Tytan Technologies AI-powered drone interceptors and missiles — combat-tested in Ukraine, scaling manufacturing across Germany and Ukraine | $53M EUR 46M | |
| 57 | 🇬🇧 Uforce Combat-proven autonomous land, sea, and aerial systems including counter-drone tech used against Shahed drones in Ukraine | $50M | |
| 58 | Onodrim Defense sensing and detection systems | $48M EUR 40M | |
| 59 | 🇩🇪 ARX Robotics AI-driven autonomous unmanned ground vehicles for European defense forces, partnering with Helsing | $45M EUR 42M | |
| 60 | 🇫🇷 Cailabs Optical communication and light shaping technology for defense and telecom | $44M EUR 37M | |
| 61 | 🇺🇸 Reveal Technology Real-time intelligence tools for defense that work without cloud connectivity | $44M | |
| 62 | 🇺🇸 Allen Control Systems Bullfrog autonomous robotic weapon station for AI-guided precision counter-drone targeting | $42M | |
| 63 | 🇺🇸 Chariot Defense Software-defined battlefield power distribution systems for tactical edge operations | $41M | |
| 64 | 🇺🇸 Seasats Uncrewed surface vehicles for maritime defense and ocean monitoring | $40M | |
| 65 | 🇺🇸 Istari Digital Digital twin platform for virtual weapons system prototyping — accelerating defense acquisition through digital engineering | $40M | |
| 66 | 🇺🇸 Outpost Reusable spacecraft for cargo delivery and Earth return — $33M Air Force STRATFI contract for hypersonic re-entry testing | $40M | |
| 67 | 🇺🇸 Twenty Cyber warfare and offensive cyber software for defense | $38M | |
| 68 | 🇺🇸 TurbineOne Frontline perception and decision support AI for military operators | $36M | |
| 69 | 🇺🇸 Swarm Aero UAV swarm technology for coordinated military drone operations | $35M | |
| 70 | 🇪🇪 Frankenburg Technologies Affordable mass-manufacturable missile defense systems to counter low-cost drone threats in Europe | $33M EUR 30M | |
| 71 | 🇺🇸 Rune Technologies AI-enabled predictive logistics platform transforming military supply chains into intelligent supply webs | $30M | |
| 72 | 🇳🇱 Optics11 Fiber optic sensing systems for maritime defense and subsea monitoring | $30M EUR 25M | |
| 73 | 🇺🇸 Grid Aero Long-range, high-payload, ultra-low-cost autonomous cargo aircraft for military and commercial logistics | $26M | |
| 74 | 🇺🇸 Star Catcher Space-based energy grid beaming solar power to satellites via laser — AFWERX SBIR contracts | $23M | |
| 75 | 🇺🇸 Array Labs Radar satellite constellation for 3D Earth mapping with government awards across US armed services and intelligence | $20M | |
| 76 | 🇺🇸 Aeon Low-cost tactical missile and weapon systems including Zeus anti-tank and Dart precision strike | $20M | |
| 77 | 🇺🇸 Aeolus Labs AI-powered weather simulation and atmospheric risk reduction with defense applications | $17M | |
| 78 | 🇺🇸 Max Space Expandable space modules that launch compact and expand 20x — for crewed missions, manufacturing, and storage across orbit and beyond | $16M | |
| 79 | 🇺🇸 Virtualitics AI-powered data visualization and analytics for defense readiness | $15M | |
| 80 | 🇺🇸 Gallatin AI-native logistics platform that multiplies military logisticians' capacity in contested environments | $15M | |
| 81 | 🇺🇸 ConductorAI AI platform automating government and DoD approval processes, cutting document review time 50% for Air Force, Space Force, CDAO | $15M | |
| 82 | 🇺🇸 Scout AI Fury robotic foundation model enabling military robots to autonomously see, understand, and act in GPS/comms-denied environments | $15M | |
| 83 | 🇮🇱 Tenna Systems Real-time electromagnetic spectrum mapping platform — AccuWeather for electronic warfare — detecting jamming, spoofing, and RF interference | $14M | |
| 84 | 🇺🇸 Swarmbotics AI Ground-based swarm robotics for defense and military missions | $13M | |
| 85 | 🇺🇸 Pryzm AI-powered federal procurement platform connecting government and industry — selected by DIU for eWARP | $12M | |
| 86 | 🇰🇷 Bone AI Autonomous UAV, UGV, and USV defense robotics with integrated AI for South Korean and allied militaries | $12M | |
| 87 | 🇺🇸 Poseidon Aerospace Unmanned heavy-lift cargo aircraft (Egret STOL + Heron seaplane) carrying 2 tons over 1,500 miles | $11M | |
| 88 | 🇺🇸 World View Stratospheric balloons for defense sensing, ISR, and communications | $10M | |
| 89 | 🇺🇸 Aurelius Systems Autonomous laser weapons for counter-drone defense — Archimedes Laser Sentinel | $10M |
Showing 89 of 89 companies