Shield AI, a leading deep-tech company specializing in cutting-edge autonomy software and defense aircraft, has successfully closed a $240 million F-1 strategic funding round, elevating its valuation to $5.3 billion.
The round saw strong participation from key strategic investors, including L3Harris and Hanwha Aerospace, alongside continued support from existing investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, U.S. Innovative Technology, and Washington Harbour. This funding will accelerate the deployment of Hivemind Enterprise, Shield AI’s premier autonomy software, to OEMs, governments, and enterprises, enhancing the broader robotics and drone industry’s ability to develop next-generation autonomous systems.
“Developing autonomy is both complex and costly. Hivemind Enterprise solves this widely known problem and enables the rapid and efficient proliferation of resilient, high-performance autonomy for intelligent machines across industries,” said Nathan Michael, Shield AI’s Chief Technology Officer. “Hivemind Enterprise is about supercharging the industrial base to build and monetize autonomy, enabling a world of millions of autonomous systems in the next ten years.”
Hivemind Enterprise serves as a comprehensive autonomy software suite designed for developers and organizations looking to build, test, evaluate, and deploy intelligent machine autonomy. The platform provides a significant head start in autonomy development by offering AI-driven toolsets, an integrated autonomy factory, industrial-grade middleware, a rich autonomy catalog, and seamless mission control. Shield AI’s proven edge autonomy technology enables unmanned systems to function effectively in GPS- and communications-denied environments, ensuring mission success in even the most challenging operational conditions.
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“The same tools that make up Hivemind Enterprise have already enabled Shield AI to autonomously fly F-16s, MQ-20s, MQM-178s, operate V-BATs in GPS- and communications-denied environments, and have quadcopters explore buildings and tunnels for U.S. and Israeli forces. Partnerships with strategics like L3 Harris and Hanwha Aerospace further accelerate efforts to proliferate resilient autonomy,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s President and Co-Founder.
The demand for large-scale autonomy continues to grow, a sentiment echoed by industry leaders. Christopher E. Kubasik, Chair and CEO of L3Harris, underscored this urgency:
“The need for advanced autonomy has never been more urgent, and Shield AI is proving that autonomy at scale is not only possible but inevitable. Their commitment to pushing the boundaries of AI-driven autonomy aligns with our Trusted Disruptor strategy, where we partner to accelerate the delivery of AI-enabled solutions and emerging technologies to meet our customers’ needs faster and more efficiently.”
The strong interest from investors underscores Shield AI’s momentum, following a year of significant achievements and technology integration advancements, including its mission autonomy collaboration with L3Harris. With the backing of strategic investors, the company is poised to drive the next phase of autonomous system innovation at scale.
