Military AI Startups Get Alarming Boost to Funding in 2023

Shield AI raises $200M at a $2.7B valuation to scale military autonomous flying tech

Nov 07, 2023

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Hey Everyone,

If you have been following conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, you will know the importance of drones, drone swarms and flying objects in the future of military controlled by A.I.

The startup, which was founded in 2015, is now valued at $2.7 billion. This latest round was co-led by U.S. Innovation Technology Fund (USIT) and Riot Ventures, both prior investors in Shield AI. Other contributors include existing investors Disruptive and Snowpoint and new investor ARK Invest, the investment management firm founded by Cathie Wood.

People are going to be cashing in on Military tech and AI military tech startups as geopolitics appears to be heating up in 2023 and beyond. Everyone from Japan, to Germany, to China are increasing their National Defense and military budgets, especially in the areas of A.I. and quantum computing and robotics.

Shield AI like Scale A.I. have been on my radar in this respect for quite a while. My core audience doesn’t seem to care about this topic the way I do, and I sometimes wonder why that is.

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$200 Million Funding Round for Shield A.I.

What you have to understand is Shield A.I. is nearly a decade old. This sizable Series F round reflects the company’s strong fundraising track record — the company’s Series E totaled $225 million and its Series D came in between $210 million-$300 million.

Fighter jets controlled by A.I. is surpassing human capabilities. The startup makes hardware and software to transform drones and aircraft into autonomous systems capable of executing missions in contested environments.

Hivemind is Really a Thing

Am I the only one that finds this a bit upsetting?

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