Defense Tech Has a New Unicorn

INNOVATION

Defense tech has a new unicorn

Data-tech startup Govini cinched $150 million in growth capital, tipping the company’s valuation over the $1 billion mark.

INVESTMENT

Defense startup taking on Palantir hits $100 million in ARR

“We’re growing faster than 100% in a three-year CAGR, and I expect that next year we’ll continue to do the same,” CEO Tara Murphy Dougherty told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan in an interview. With how “big this market is, we can keep growing for a long, long time, and that’s really exciting.”

William Byron Adds Defense Tech Leader Anduril as New Multi-Year Sponsor

William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team will have a new multi-year primary sponsorship partner beginning with the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Anduril Industries, a defense technology company, will serve as a two-race primary sponsor annually for Byron through the 2028 season.

Booz Allen is eyeing these 4 defense-tech fields for investment

Investors are betting billions of dollars that the world of defense tech is a gold mine, despite the Pentagon's reputation for sluggish purchases and arcane regulations.

AI

Andreessen Horowitz Plans $10B Raise for AI and Defense Tech Funds

Andreessen Horowitz plans to raise $10 billion for new funds: $6 billion for growth-stage startups, $3 billion for AI, and $1 billion for U.S. defense tech, emphasizing national security and innovation amid a rebounding market. This move builds on past successes and involves lobbying for favorable policies. Critics question its risk-taking approach.

A Guide to Collaborating With (and Not Surrendering to) AI in the Military Classroom

If educators do not learn to embrace AI, they risk being left behind. Yet the question before professional military education institutions is not whether they should embrace this new technology, but how to do so in a way that prepares their students for the future. As educators examine the road ahead, they must find a way to incorporate AI into professional military education without undermining the intellectual development that is the cornerstone of their mission.

TECHNOLOGY

Software-Defined Hardware Could Transform Defence Development, say Leonardo and PhysicsX

At the Resilience Conference in London, speakers said AI-driven, software-defined hardware could revolutionise defence manufacturing and drastically shorten aircraft development cycles

ICYMI: Anduril Snaps Up AIRS for Infrared

According to a release by Anduril on Monday, the acquisition “will further integrate AIRS’s advanced hardware into Anduril’s portfolio of sensing systems, expanding the range and capability of technologies available to customers.” The two companies did not reveal details of the transaction.

EUROPE

Europeans Want In on CCA

The Europeans are, indeed, coming. Yesterday, in a plot twist very few expected, the US and the Netherlands signed a letter of intent stating that the northern European nation will participate in the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

Why investors are pouring billions into Europe's defense tech sector

Venture capital investment in European deep tech defense, security and resilience startups has grown from $159 million in 2014 to $5.2 billion in 2024 – a 32-fold increase in just a decade, according to the NATO Innovation Fund. So, why are investors betting on European defense tech? And what more needs to be done for the sector to truly compete at a global level?