Darshana M Chigari’s Post

VC funding in defense tech firms has reached $2.5 billion this year following Anduril Industries’ $1.5 billion Series F round completed in early August, according to a new report by startup data tracker Crunchbase. Excerpts from my story for Aviation Week Network below: With four months to go in 2024, this year’s defense tech funding is likely to surpass the record of $2.6 billion set in 2022 as well as 2023’s $2.1 billion. Andreessen Horowitz has made 14 defense tech investments since 2021, the most of any VC. Although Andreessen did not participate in Anduril’s most recent funding round, it has previously invested in the company. Andreessen did lead a Series B funding round for autonomous surface vessel-maker Saronic that closed in July. That funding round raised $175 million for Saronic, placing it at a $1 billion valuation. Anduril plans to use part of its latest capital injection—which gives it a valuation of $14 billion—to support the development of Arsenal, a software-defined manufacturing platform for the mass production of autonomous systems and weapons. In an Aug. 7 announcement, Anduril said that it would open a manufacturing facility of roughly 5 million ft.2 called Arsenal-1. Defense tech has thus far proven resilient in the face of high interest rates and uncertainty about the U.S. economy’s prospects. #aerospace #defense #venturecapital #siliconvalley #investing #military #nationalsecurity #anduril #andreesenhorowitz #supplychain #manufacturing https://lnkd.in/gk2rQXv2

US Defence Tech Start-Up Anduril Industries Raises $1.5bn at $14bn Valuation Anduril Industries, a pioneering defence tech company, has secured $1.5bn in funding to accelerate the production of autonomous weapons for the US military and its allies. The round was co-led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and Sands Capital, valuing the company at $14bn, double its valuation in December 2022. The investment will fuel the development of new manufacturing facilities capable of producing tens of thousands of autonomous weapons systems. The first facility, Arsenal-1, will be established in the US, with potential plans for a second overseas. The rise of Anduril signals a shift in venture capital sentiment towards defence tech, driven by the conflict in Ukraine. Venture investment in the sector has doubled to $33bn between 2019 and 2023. Anduril aims to disrupt the defence industry, challenging giants like Lockheed Martin and Boeing by focusing on simpler, scalable autonomous weapons. Their rapid growth and significant contracts with US and UK military underscore their impact. Palmer Luckey co-founder of Anduril and virtual reality pioneer, Occulus (now owned by Meta) continues to lead the company in reshaping the future of defence technology. #Defence #VC #technology #AutonomousWeapons #VentureCapital #MilitaryInnovation #AndurilIndustries

"The funding round was just another sign of how defense tech investment has exploded this year. The sector already has taken in more venture dollars than ever before and investment is showing few signs of letting up as defense systems become more dependent on tech, conflicts around the world heat up, and many expect a likely uptick in the Department of Defense’s budget after the recent election." #venturecapital #defensetech #electionresults

Breaking the Silence with a Glimpse of What’s Ahead 🚀 Starting from scratch is never easy, especially in an industry where partners bring decades of experience and deep customer trust. But at Arc Space Innovation, we’re breaking barriers and innovating at speed, aiming to deliver products that directly support our warfighters. In a growing startup landscape—where the aerospace and defense industry feels smaller than ever, and let’s face it, we’ve all crossed paths at some point—Arc Space Innovation remains committed to our quiet but powerful vision. While we carefully balance speed, delivery, and the venture capital world, service support remains a vital lever that keeps us moving forward. Optimum Technologies LLC is leading the way with rapid mission integration, production services, and manufacturing capabilities right here in Loudoun County Government, and I’m proud to support their vision as it continues to grow. There’s more to come… Arc Space Innovation may be quiet, but we’re breaking barriers. Stay tuned. #Innovation #Aerospace #Defense #Startups #MissionIntegration #ArcSpaceInnovation #OptimumTechnologies #ProudPartner #BreakingBarriers

Defense tech investments hit record highs in 2024 From $145M for Chaos Industries to Anduril’s $1.5B mega-round, venture capital in defense tech has soared past $3B this year, breaking all records. With rising global tensions and a predicted defense budget increase under the new U.S. administration, VCs are diving deeper into tech like AI-driven weapons and autonomous systems. If we're being honest, this feels more like the latest gold rush. 🔗 Source 🛡 Powered by V3V Ventures

As war rages in Ukraine, investment in European defense and dual-use tech skyrockets. A billion dollars of venture capital will be invested into European defense technology in 2024, a first for the continent, and a five-fold increase since 2018. #Ukraine #VC #defense #tech #startups #Europe

#DisruptiveTech 🔴 Does breaking the investment taboo on military innovation and dual use spell a new phase in finance? From Lisbon to Tallinn, defence tech has moved to the main stage at tech conferences and investor meet-ups. For years, European VCs considered defence or dual-use technologies — those that can be used for both civilian and military purposes — taboo. But as the geopolitical reality in Europe hardens — NATO is preparing for a potential military conflict with Russia within the next 10 years— the tech community sees the commercial potential of modernising the continent’s armies. Europe’s defence startups have bucked the trend of diminishing fundraising rounds: the sector saw $614m in deals in 2023, up from $408m in 2022, according to Dealroom.co. A big part of this push has come from the public sector. In 2022, NATO launched a $1bn startup fund - NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) and a tech accelerator NATO DIANA - the first time in history that the military alliance has backed emerging technologies. Also, this year the European Investment Fund (EIF) announced it will create a €175m fund of funds to back VC and private equity funds investing in dual use. Numerous governments are also setting up their defence accelerators and incubators. European defence ventures have mushroomed following Russia’s war on Ukraine, though most are still young. There are a few stand-out performers. For example, Munich-based Helsing, which develops AI software to process and analyse vast amounts of data to create real-time pictures of battlefields, raised a €209m Series B funding round led by US VC General Catalyst in 2023. It's on its way to raising another massive round at a $4bn valuation, according to media reports. Another big name is Finland’s ICEYE - a company that deploys radar satellites that collect images of the surface of the Earth at any time of day, in any weather conditions — which has raised almost $400m to date. #NATO #OTAN #defencetechnology #defenceinvestment #defense #innovation Campaign Catapult, Pravo Consulting

It's been amazing to see all the new investments in the aerospace and space arena over the last few years. These industries were once thought to be impenetrable by anyone other than the big OEMs and prime contractors but things are changing rapidly. https://lnkd.in/gFDDYdwJ

✦ AJAY KUMAR launches MountTech Growth Fund targeting DEFENSE, AEROSPACE, and DEEPTECH sectors, joining funding efforts with INFOSYS for innovative progress. ✦ Fund supports GalaxEye's 'DRISHTI MISSION' satellite, advancing HIGH-RESOLUTION data capabilities and technological development. ✦ Investment signifies INDIA's surging INTEREST in AEROSPACE, DEFENSE, and DEEPTECH industries, highlighting national priorities. #DefenseInvestment #AerospaceInnovation #DeeptechDevelopment #IndiaTechGrowth

Can #Startups Defend Europe? 🚀 🌟 This is the head for the latest project of Sifted 💫 The Big Pic: NATO is preparing for a potential military conflict with Russia within the next 10 years— the tech community sees the commercial potential of modernising the continent’s armies. 💫 Why it matters: Europe’s defence startups have bucked the trend of diminishing fundraising rounds: the sector saw $614m in deals in 2023, up from $408m in 2022, according to Dealroom. A big part of this push has come from the public sector. In 2022, NATO launched a $1bn startup fund and a tech accelerator (NATO DIANA) — the first time in history that the military alliance has backed emerging technologies. 💫 More numbers: €240bn spend by eu government on defense in 2022; 3x is how much funding of defence and dual-use startups rose between 2020 and 2023; €209m is how much Helsing 🇩🇪 raised last year in its Series B, the biggest defence tech raise in Europe so far. 💫 More defense / dual use startups which raised impressively: ICEYE 🇫🇮, Unseenlabs 🇫🇷, The Exploration Company 🇩🇪, ALL.SPACE 🇬🇧 💫 dive deeper: https://lnkd.in/dy6djK6z #defensetech #dualuse #innovation #vc