Sit around any defense tech conference long enough, and the industry’s main gripe will become abundantly clear: the Pentagon is a byzantine labyrinth, and the government is, well, a pain in the ass to work with. Turns out one company may have finally found a solution. This morning, software startup Usul—born out of Stanford’s Hacking […]
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Maritime autonomy is all the rage, and the hype only seems to be growing. This morning, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) company Vatn Systems announced a twofer in an exclusive release to Tectonic: First, they’re opening a new, higher-capacity production facility in Bristol, Rhode Island. And second, […]
Not all defense innovation is flying, drone-y things. Sometimes, it’s the very materials that make it possible to build advanced systems, like metals. Enter: Foundation Alloy. This morning, the advanced metals manufacturing company announced a $7.5M funding round, led by Alumni Ventures, America’s Frontier Fund, Engine Ventures, El Cap, Material Impact, and Yamaha Motor Ventures. […]
The Anduril empire just keeps on growing. This morning, everyone’s favorite defense tech company announced a twofer: First, they’re acquiring Klas, a tactical comms and edge computing company out of Dublin, pending regulatory approval. And second, they’re unveiling a new member of the Menace command, control, communications, and computing (C4) systems family: Menace-T. In a […]
If you took top Trump officials, Silicon Valley elite, some of the world’s wealthiest investors and executives, and a whole bunch of defense tech founders and stuck them in a room, what would you get? The Hill and Valley Forum, apparently. Yesterday, as budget negotiations continued overhead, tech and policy big guns (pun intended) gathered […]
The drone companies are joining forces, and fast. On Friday, Israeli-American hydrogen-powered drone company Heven said it had acquired Zepher Flight Labs, which makes vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone systems, as well as hydrogen drones. “Zepher brings deep expertise in lightweight airframes, avionics, and modular payload integration—all of which enhance Heven’s mission of building […]
The future is here, apparently, and it’s electric. On Tuesday, aircraft company Electra announced a $115M Series B, led by Prysm Capital. Jay Park, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Prysm, has also joined Electra’s board of directors. Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, told Tectonic that the money will help the company work toward pre-production and […]
Looks like Saronic really is trying to build the shipyard of the future. Yesterday, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) company and 8VC darling announced that it’s acquired Gulf Craft, a shipbuilder on the Louisiana coast. The company also unveiled a new 150-foot medium USV (MUSV) called Marauder, which will be prototyped out of Gulf Craft’s […]
Looks like Astro Mechanica is really speeding things up. This morning, the supersonic engine and aircraft manufacturing company announced that it has raised $27.1M in funding, co-led by a16z, Lowercarbon, and Giant Step, with significant participation from Alumni and Voyager. Astro Mechanica CEO Ian Brooke told Tectonic in an exclusive interview that the funding will […]
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Maritime autonomy is all the rage. Late last week, autonomous shipbuilder Blue Water Autonomy emerged from stealth and announced $14M in seed funding led by Eclipse, Riot, and Impatient Ventures. The company is building a larger-profile, fully autonomous warship for the US Navy that can stay […]
