Shield AI, a San Diego-based startup that’s on a mission to build the world’s best AI pilot for aircraft and drones, has raised a cool $200 million in Series F funding. After this new funding round led by the US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Shield AI is now valued at $2.7 billion.
Shield AI’s core offering is an AI pilot called Hivemind, which enables swarms of intelligent aircraft to operate autonomously in high-threat environments without the need for remote operators, command inputs, or GPS. The technology approach is similar to those in the self-driving car industry, and its software stack is aircraft agnostic, allowing Shield AI to provide autonomy to a variety of form factors across the aerospace industry.
Earlier this month, the company launched a defense tech product called V-BAT Teams, allowing a single human operator to command a minimum of four V-BATs. A vertical takeoff and landing drone, the V-BAT uses a patented ducted fan design to improve thrust by 80%+ at equivalent engine power. It can fly for a half day or stop and hover for hours on end.
Concurrently, the company has been working on integrating Hivemind into uncrewed fighter jets. As such, the funds from the Series F round will be used to:
- Scale and deploy V-BAT Teams product domestically and internationally
- Accelerate tech integration with third-party uncrewed platforms
Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s president, cofounder, and former Navy SEAL, says, “This funding accelerates the scaling of Shield AI’s products, enabling the deployment of intelligent, affordable mass — the most important non-nuclear deterrent for the next 30 years.”
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