Defense technology startup Shield AI valued at $5.3B in $240M funding round – News

Defense technology startup Shield AI Inc. today announced that it has raised $240 million in funding at a $5.3 billion valuation.

The Series F-1 round included the participation of Andreessen Horowitz, U.S. Innovative Technology and Washington Harbour. They were joined by new investors L3Harris Technologies Inc. and Hanwha Aerospace Co., two publicly-traded defense contractors. The round brings Shield AI’s total outside funding to $1.3 billion.

Shield AI’s flagship product is Hivemind Enterprise, a platform designed to power autonomous defense systems such as drones. According to the company, the software enables the machines in which it’s installed to operate without access to reliable communications links or GPS. Shield AI says that it has successfully tested Hivemind Enterprise in several aircraft types. 

The platform’s first component is an operating system called EdgeOS. According to Shield AI, it includes a specialized programming language for defining how an autonomous machine should exchange data with other systems. EdgeOS is extensible, which means developers can extend its core feature with custom capabilities.

EdgeOS is complemented by a second software product called Pilot. The latter offering provides prepackaged algorithms for use cases such as autonomous drone navigation. To help developers learn how to use Pilot, Scale AI ships the software with a collection of reference implementations.

Hivemind Enteprirse’s third component, Forge, is designed to ease the development of autonomous machines. It includes simulation programs that can be used to test components such as a system’s sensors and actuators. An analytics toolkit makes it easier to review the technical data generated by such tests.

Autonomous machines have complicated settings that can be configured in many different ways. According to Shield AI, Hivemind verifies that the machines it powers are configured correctly to avoid technical issues. For added measure, the company provides logging tools that make it easier to identify errors. 

“Developing autonomy is both complex and costly,” said Chief Technology Officer Nathan Michael. “Hivemind Enterprise solves this widely known problem and enables the rapid and efficient proliferation of resilient, high-performance autonomy.”

Shield AI offers Hivemind Enterprise alongside several hardware products. The V-Bat (pictured) is a drone that takes off vertically and can fly for up to 13 hours. It’s designed to work with another Shield AI hardware product, VIDAR, that combines a set of cameras with analytics software.

According to Bloomberg, the company will use its new funding to enhance its software portfolio. News reported that Shield AI is now the second most valuable defense technology startup after Anduril Industries Inc., which is rumored to be raising capital at a $28 billion valuation.

 Image: Shield AI