[ { "id": 1300, "name": "ApolloShield", "slug": "apolloshield", "former_names": [ "AirFence" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/86c94c24723a06f19dde6996b82d50916b0d8159.png", "website": "https://www.apolloshield.com", "all_locations": "Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District, Israel", "long_description": "Detect and safely block unwanted drone intrusions. Track down and arrest unauthorized operators.\r\n\r\nDeveloped by experts from Israel Defense Forces and currently serving more than 25 countries, ApolloShield is the world leader in detecting and blocking drone intrusions, as well as tracking down and arresting unauthorized drone operators.\r\n\r\n", "one_liner": "ApolloShield is a system that detects unwanted drones and drives them…", "team_size": null, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1461865813, "tags": [ "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2016", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "Israel", "Middle East and North Africa" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/apolloshield", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2016/apolloshield.json", "year_founded": 2016, "city": "Tel Aviv-Yafo", "country": "IL", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/apolloshield-anti-drone-solutions/", "x_url": "https://twitter.com/apolloshield", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/apollo-shield", "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/86c94c24723a06f19dde6996b82d50916b0d8159.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": null, "founders": [ { "user_id": 139274, "full_name": "Gilad Beeri", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/giladbeeri", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/0f835757c98c95077558ba3aca40e6f8a82b7d91.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [] }, { "id": 22876, "name": "Hermes Robotics", "slug": "hermes-robotics", "former_names": [ "Hermes Robotics Inc." ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/ba95dd007177877192769751ade47405b6650136.png", "website": "http://hermes-robotics.com", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "", "one_liner": "Autonomous street sweeping as a service by retro-fitting vehicles", "team_size": 5, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1614620062, "tags": [ "Autonomous Trucking", "Hard Tech", "Robotics", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Winter 2021", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada", "Remote", "Partly Remote" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/hermes-robotics", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/winter-2021/hermes-robotics.json", "year_founded": null, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/ba95dd007177877192769751ade47405b6650136.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Nicolas Dessaigne", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/nicolas-dessaigne" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 285351, "full_name": "Guilhem Herail", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/guilhemherail/", "x_url": "https://twitter.com/guilhemherail", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/a086b2ac4425a6e66a65fc929f02b035afc23a1d.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [ { "title": "X", "url": "https://twitter.com/guilhemherail/status/1735067118339489833?s=46&t=O0b0EyKJCW7-IEDWarggfw", "date": "Dec 13, 2023" } ], "launches": [] }, { "id": 29447, "name": "Deepnight", "slug": "deepnight", "former_names": [ "DeepNight" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/419c6b136773af60713e2a4301554b4ef1bbd8a9.png", "website": "https://www.deepnight.com", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "DeepNight is building the next generation of night vision with AI.", "one_liner": "Building The Next Generation of Night Vision Devices", "team_size": 16, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1709629638, "tags": [ "Computer Vision", "AI" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Winter 2024", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada", "Remote", "Partly Remote" ], "stage": "Growth", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/deepnight", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/winter-2024/deepnight.json", "year_founded": 2024, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepnight-inc", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/419c6b136773af60713e2a4301554b4ef1bbd8a9.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Pete Koomen", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/pete-koomen" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 1583389, "full_name": "Lucas Young", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Solving night vision with software.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasdyoung/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/1db87cb23cdb8e0c210d7b811a4beb540a83c9e6.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 84663, "title": "Computer Vision Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/deepnight/jobs/xG3gegU-computer-vision-engineer", "location": "San Francisco, CA, US / Remote (US)", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Machine learning", "salary_range": "$160K - $240K", "equity_range": "0.10% - 0.40%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "Torch/PyTorch", "Machine Learning", "Deep Learning", "Computer Vision" ] }, { "id": 109948, "title": "Electrical Engineer - Displays & Camera Sensors", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/deepnight/jobs/Apr3qXh-electrical-engineer-displays-camera-sensors", "location": "San Diego, CA / San Francisco, CA", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Electrical", "salary_range": "$120K - $180K", "equity_range": "0.15% - 0.35%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "Will sponsor", "skills": [ "PCB design" ] } ], "news": [ { "title": "YC grad Deepnight nabs $5.5M for AI night vision software that disrupts a multi-billion dollar industry | TechCrunch", "url": "https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/27/yc-grad-deepnight-nabs-5-5m-for-ai-night-vision-software-that-disrupts-a-multi-billion-dollar-industry/", "date": "Feb 27, 2025" } ], "launches": [] }, { "id": 30210, "name": "Conntour", "slug": "conntour", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/c972b0925a72b8923c709c1b48733059aafb73d3.png", "website": "https://www.conntour.com/", "all_locations": "Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District, Israel", "long_description": "Conntour enables government agencies to query their video - from security cameras, body cams, and drones.\r\n\r\nUsers can search past footage (“Find a man with tattoos on his left arm”), configure real-time alerts (“Notify me if someone climbs over the wall”), and extract data (“How many pickup trucks entered yesterday?”).\r\n\r\nUnlike traditional video analytics solutions, which are limited to fixed parameters (like a weapon, bag, or car color), Conntour supports an unlimited range of highly specific scenarios described in plain language. This enables a single human to monitor thousands of cameras, or find a specific moment in minutes instead of days.\r\n\r\nWhat makes Conntour's technology unique is its ability to process video using natural language at scale, fully on-premises, with minimal hardware requirements. The system is deployed with mission-critical teams at leading intelligence and homeland security agencies.\r\n\r\nConntour is backed by top-tier investors including General Catalyst and Y Combinator, was selected for the first-ever Palantir Fellowship, and has the former CTO of the CIA on its advisory board.", "one_liner": "Query mission-critical video", "team_size": 20, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1738284252, "tags": [ "Computer Vision", "Defense", "AI" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Winter 2025", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "Israel", "Middle East and North Africa" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/conntour", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/winter-2025/conntour.json", "year_founded": 2024, "city": "Tel Aviv-Yafo", "country": "IL", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/conntour/", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/c972b0925a72b8923c709c1b48733059aafb73d3.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Tom Blomfield", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/tom-blomfield" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 1375912, "full_name": "Matan Goldner", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "I’m the co-founder and CEO of Conntour.\n\nI worked with security cameras for years, leading video surveillance in the Israeli military. I also led surveillance at a private security company - where I worked with most of the existing video analytics solutions.\n\nIn those roles, I used most of the existing solutions and experienced a major need that had no real solution. That experience also helped me build strong connections with global leaders in our industry.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://linkedin.com/in/matan-goldner", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/974f6c497f392e466ec1107b5a3e6aa9decbdb9c.jpg" }, { "user_id": 405332, "full_name": "Tomer Kulla", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Co-Founder and CTO at Conntour, with a BSc in Computer Science focused on computer vision. \nPreviously, I founded and sold Nilus, where I worked on eCommerce ad-tech and recommendation engines (ML). \nMy career spans both hands-on experience—particularly in web, MLOps, and big data—and leadership roles, including managing teams and as a Director of Engineering managing goup of 3 teams.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomer-kulla/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/4507b1091a9e2181ef456272045e50b99403d0f3.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 87340, "title": "Conntour: Ask Security Cameras Anything", "tagline": "Search and monitor thousands of video feeds with simple text queries", "body": "**TL;DR**: **Conntour lets governments and corporates query their security cameras.**\n\nUsers can search past footage (“Find a man with a blue backpack”), set alerts (“Notify me if someone climbs over the wall”), and extract data (“How many vehicles entered yesterday?”).\n\nIn just a few months, Conntour secured the Singapore government as a paying customer.\n\nhttps://www.tella.tv/video/cm6k221g4000f0bl1csynd0p1/view\n\n# **Who we’re building it for:**\n\nConntour targets organizations with thousands of security cameras. That includes governments (military, police, intelligence) and businesses (corporates, retail, industrial companies). These teams can’t manage so many cameras and it leads to huge losses - money, legal violations, and even human lives.\n\n# **The Problem with existing solutions:**\n\nThey offer low customization, as they’re limited to pre-defined parameters (like shirt color or license plate number). This **lack of flexibility** causes missed critical events, too many false alarms, and countless hours wasted on manual footage review. Conntour solves this by offering **unlimited flexibility** through natural language queries - just ask anything.\n\n# **Team:**\n\nMatan (CEO) led a military video surveillance unit - leveraging security cameras to save lives. Tomer (CTO) is a second-time founder and former director of engineering.\n\nWe’ve known each other for 13 years, first meeting in the special forces during our mandatory military service. Since then, we’ve studied together and tackled many challenges side by side.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=87340&key=user_uploads/1375912/ab328256-e7c8-44fe-a9c0-ee0427cfab0d)\n\nWe’d be happy to hear from you at: [matan@conntour.com](mailto:matan@conntour.com)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Mii-conntour-ask-security-cameras-anything", "votes": 24, "created_at": "2025-01-31T21:45:31.892Z" } ] }, { "id": 30631, "name": "Null Labs", "slug": "null-labs", "former_names": [ "Corvus Defense" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/5c6d34be502792f6dd14717502e2286fd5399a8b.png", "website": "https://n0labs.com", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "We provide defense companies with simulation infrastructure to train and validate autonomous systems.\r\n", "one_liner": "End-to-end Simulation for Defense Autonomy", "team_size": 2, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1763086396, "tags": [ "Robotics", "Aerospace" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Fall 2025", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/null-labs", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/fall-2025/null-labs.json", "year_founded": 2025, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/n0lab", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/5c6d34be502792f6dd14717502e2286fd5399a8b.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Brad Flora", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/brad-flora" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 1742187, "full_name": "Kristopher Luo", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Previously Stanford EE and CS. Conducted research in the nanofabrication lab, and worked in industry on automating vision to action pipelines for agriculture robotics. Also deployed neural networks on edge including a patented system for child heat protection in vehicles. ", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisluo", "x_url": "https://x.com/theKrisLuo", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/d15a85b53b352a41a9b96f6c123f78754ef02ca6.jpg" }, { "user_id": 1959092, "full_name": "Niel Ok", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Co-founder and CTO at Null Labs. Previously led infrastructure at a DeepMind spinout working on automating AI research and studied EE and did neuroscience theory research at Stanford. ", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/niel-ok/", "x_url": "https://x.com/nielok20", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/a9410ed47494d188fbca6cc705e1d684e8dd53f7.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [] }, { "id": 30704, "name": "Albacore Inc.", "slug": "albacore-inc", "former_names": [ "Albacore Ocean Systems, Inc." ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/136331286874ea99fbd7e2a7b2acfee659b0c7bf.png", "website": "https://www.albacore.inc", "all_locations": "Philadelphia, PA, USA", "long_description": "Albacore Inc. builds mass-producible long-range drone submarines. In the era of autonomous warfare, we support military operators with underwater systems that can traverse oceans and be deployed at scale.", "one_liner": "Drone submarines", "team_size": 18, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1753760756, "tags": [ "Drones", "Maritime", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2025", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada", "Remote", "Partly Remote" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/albacore-inc", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2025/albacore-inc.json", "year_founded": 2025, "city": "Philadelphia", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/107689623", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/136331286874ea99fbd7e2a7b2acfee659b0c7bf.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Jared Friedman", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/jared-friedman" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 2629924, "full_name": "Dante Vaisbort", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "UChicago Classics major turned repeat defense tech startup founder from Los Angeles. Previous company developed autonomous system-focused power technologies for the DoD, now building the world's best underwater drones.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/dante-vaisbort/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/f9914774477ce8771c2ff1c85e49a1b594c91049.jpg" }, { "user_id": 2763448, "full_name": "John Huddleston", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "I'm a New York City native who graduated from Brown University with a degree in mechanical engineering. I spent 3 years advising Fortune 500 aerospace and defense companies and senior Navy leadership on autonomous systems before founding Albacore.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-huddleston-3584121b7/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/f5635ae8e5111b0a37558a03f311bc8aae94464d.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [ { "title": "Exclusive: YC-Backed Albacore Swims Into $6.5M Seed Round", "url": "https://www.tectonicdefense.com/exclusive-yc-backed-albacore-swims-into-6-5m-seed-round/", "date": "Oct 16, 2025" } ], "launches": [ { "id": 92587, "title": "🌊 Albacore – Autonomous micro-submarines", "tagline": "Building the technology to make maritime invasions impossible", "body": "### **TLDR:**\n\nHey everyone! We’re [**John**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-huddleston-3584121b7/) (engineer and unmanned systems expert) and [**Dante**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dante-vaisbort/) (repeat defense founder). [**Albacore Inc.**](https://www.albacore.inc/) is building the next generation of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) to prevent maritime invasions. Our first product is **Ghostfin:** a 6-foot-long autonomous underwater vehicle that can patrol over 1,000 nautical miles undetected and massively damage hostile watercraft.\n\n[**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ6SYgIsDQs**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ6SYgIsDQs)\n\n### [**🏴‍☠️**](https://emojipedia.org/pirate-flag) The Problem: America doesn’t have any long-range underwater strike weapons.\n\nIn the case of an Indo-Pacific conflict, our military’s existing suite of autonomous underwater vehicles is woefully unprepared. Today’s unmanned underwater vehicles are short-range, expensive, and overly mission-specific. Unlike the Ukrainians or even the Houthis, America doesn’t have underwater vehicles built for attack missions in service.\n\n### **🚀 Our Solution: Low-cost autonomous underwater vehicles that can travel 10x further.**\n\nRange is the key constraint in massive bodies of water like the Pacific Ocean. The Albacore team has spent years working on power technology and manufacturing for unmanned systems, and can build Ghostfin far more efficiently than anything on the market today by using a combination of highly scalable in-house-designed and off-the-shelf components.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=92587&key=user_uploads/2629924/1f9c199a-487c-4de0-848e-94ae31db9ba6)\n\n### 👥 **Our Team:**\n\n**John Huddleston, Co-Founder:** John is a mechanical engineer who spent 3 years at the Boston Consulting Group advising government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in the defense industrial base. He worked on >$9b in unmanned systems manufacturing and procurement efforts alongside senior military leadership.\n\n**Dante Vaisbort, Co-Founder:** Dante is a second-time founder in defense, who has won and led more than >$10m in DoD contract efforts for his first company, Haylon Technologies, which builds power technology for autonomous systems and is still active.\n\nWe also have an incredible engineering team hailing from Lockheed Martin, Johnson & Johnson etc. who have won underwater vehicle competitions and have a combined 20 years experience on space flight technology, autonomous vehicle AI, medical robotics, and robosubs.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=92587&key=user_uploads/2629924/550044dc-1333-486f-8877-384a1270c501)\n\n### **😇 Our Ask:**\n\nPlease reach out to us if you can help us deliver solutions to the Navy, Special Operations Forces, intelligence community, or allied foreign militaries. If you know any commercial entities who may want this, that’s great too!\n\nStay tuned for us to blow stuff up in the next one. In the meantime, drop us a line at [**founders@albacore.inc**](mailto:founders@albacore.inc)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/O5L-albacore-autonomous-micro-submarines", "votes": 23, "created_at": "2025-07-30T21:53:17.995Z" } ] }, { "id": 30708, "name": "Perseus Defense", "slug": "perseus-defense", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/5cdd4deac94e3261e5048ff6c4ffdd39942a5840.png", "website": "https://perseusdefense.com", "all_locations": "Austin, TX, USA", "long_description": "Perseus Defense is building a mass-manufactured Counter UAS solution for the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Current solutions are one-to-one, too dangerous for use on U.S. soil, and orders of magntiude more expensive than the threats they defeat. Our self-guided missile platform is man-portable and multi-domain capable. It senses, engages, and eliminates threats with drastically reduced cost per engagement over existing kinetic solutions. \r\n\r\nSolving this critical national security problem requires understanding complex DoD needs along with actual rocket science including aerodynamics, guidance, navigation, control, and much more. Jason and Steve met at Penn State while they pursued their PhD and MS in aerospace engineering, respectively. Their past experiences designing space helicopters for NASA, making Boeing airliners land autonomously, controlling swarms of unmanned autonomous systems, teaching aerospace engineering at Stanford, winning multiple ONR and DOE engineering competitions, and founding an international drone competition makes them the perfect team to create transformative solutions protecting our service members. \r\n\r\n\"If you build this, it will be mandatory equipment for every truck, boat, and convoy in the U.S. Military. We're talking thousands of units.\" - Former DoD Procurement Officer\r\n\r\nThe White House just released Executive Order, \"Unleashing American Drone Dominance\" which adds billions of dollars, government support, and streamlined regulations to enable the development of our product. \r\n\r\nTraction: \r\nJason and Steve used more than 100 end-user interviews across the DoD and DHS to shape the product to something of critical need to both boots on the ground and DoD purchasers. In 8 short weeks following a strict 2-week design-build-test cycle, the team has gone through 4 major guided missile iterations with over 30 live-fire flight tests. They were invited to Ft. Hood to present their platform to the 1st Cavalry Division, and also briefed the Pentagon and U.S. congressmen on current U.S. vulnerabilities to advanced drone technology. Perseus Defense is actively standing up cooperative research agreements with U.S. Army DEVCOM's Applied Research Laboratory, Aviation and Missile Center, Armaments Center, and High Performance Computing Modernization Program. ", "one_liner": "America's Golden Dome for Drones", "team_size": 3, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1750048762, "tags": [], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2025", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/perseus-defense", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2025/perseus-defense.json", "year_founded": 2025, "city": "Austin", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/perseusdefense", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/5cdd4deac94e3261e5048ff6c4ffdd39942a5840.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Tyler Bosmeny", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/tyler-bosmeny" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 1658535, "full_name": "Jason Cornelius", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Co-founder & CEO of Perseus Defense. I helped lead major parts of the NASA Titan Dragonfly space helicopter. I also secured half a million of NASA HQ funding to lead an advanced concepts team using AI/ML/supercomputing to design next generation Mars helicopters. \n\nI teach aerospace engineering at Stanford, fly airplanes, have 7 scuba certifications, and speak four languages. I wrote a book in four months last fall, \"Dare to Dream: A Small-town Kid's Journey to NASA.\" ", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-k-cornelius/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/77a5c1afba2128c3f34c458562bb573be7104125.jpg" }, { "user_id": 1293592, "full_name": "Steve Messinger", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Co-founder & CTO of Perseus Defense. Swarm robotics researcher focused on building and deploying real-world autonomy. I’ve won swarm robotics competitions, built autonomy that allows Boeing aircraft to land themselves, and developed collaborative behaviors for unmanned boats.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-messinger-a32680155/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/7a25d6c89777ad43af3e880d02110d6ab4e6891a.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 82473, "title": "Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/perseus-defense/jobs/lTD7HZx-engineer", "location": "Austin, TX, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Mechanical", "salary_range": "$110K - $180K", "equity_range": "0.10% - 1.00%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 82474, "title": "Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/perseus-defense/jobs/YuIMp9z-engineer", "location": "Austin, TX, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Electrical", "salary_range": "$110K - $180K", "equity_range": "0.10% - 1.00%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 82475, "title": "Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/perseus-defense/jobs/jeusOvL-engineer", "location": "Austin, TX, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Hardware", "salary_range": "$110K - $180K", "equity_range": "0.10% - 1.00%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 82476, "title": "Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/perseus-defense/jobs/uxJvS5U-engineer", "location": "Austin, TX, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Machine learning", "salary_range": "$110K - $180K", "equity_range": "0.10% - 1.00%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 82477, "title": "Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/perseus-defense/jobs/PsAC51N-engineer", "location": "Austin, TX, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Robotics", "salary_range": "$110K - $180K", "equity_range": "0.10% - 1.00%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] } ], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 91870, "title": "Perseus Defense 🚀 Building America's Iron Dome for Drones", "tagline": "Meet Perseus, the team building affordable micro-missiles to combat drone swarms ", "body": "Hey everyone [👋](https://emojipedia.org/waving-hand) Happy 4th of July!\n\nWe’re [Jason](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-k-cornelius/) from NASA and [Steve](https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-messinger-a32680155/) from Boeing – and now, we’re co-founders of [Perseus Defense](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/perseus-defense).\n\n# **TL;DR — We're building guided micro-missiles that shoot down drones in combat**\n\n**_Ask_:** Do you know end-users across the Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that could benefit from attritable anti-drone solutions?\n\nhttps://youtu.be/o17lMdLuZWQ\n\n# **❌ The Problem**\n\nToday’s Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (**CUAS**) solutions are too expensive, too heavy, too slow, and too ineffective.\n\n1. **70-80%** of battlefield fatalities come from drone strikes\n2. **$100,000+** kinetic solutions are used to counteract **$500** drones\n * **$500** drones are eliminating **$100M** assets\n3. Current solutions are easily defeated with fiber-optic, visual inertial odometry, or simple waypoint navigation missions\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=91870&key=user_uploads/1658535/5caa36d2-7e58-4001-b716-33dadb3e92b5)\n\n_$500 Ukrainian drones decimate $100M Russian strategic bombers_\n\n# 🚀 \\*\\* Our Solution \\*\\*\n\nPerseus is creating the first affordable guided micro-missile pods to bolster American defense capabilities both at home and abroad.\n\nOur micro-guided missiles detect, identify, and eliminate incoming threats before they can reach their intended target. They cost less than $10k, which is 2 orders of magnitude less than the current best solutions.\n\nSteve and I felt we could create a better solution to the CUAS problem and decided we had a moral obligation to follow through on that belief. We quit our old jobs and put it all on the line to fast-track this capability for the U.S. and our allies.\n\n![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/slidesz/AGV_vUdop9WhSeh84TqDYnuwb3vz1KrIWMQDG2MWaFBwptJ3V92-8mbVSKxJzAVgy3W8RXJF8ovt3OHW-hN49IX6q1nBBLmdsuYzaAOJuATMlBJC1U1FTg9GwtyELc63ytxpmLWJ8Wfqag=s2048?key=GGmIlUfxi3cwLoUUF9rHqQ)\n\n_Perseus Defense Mark-II Guided Missile Test (Prototyped in 1 week)_\n\n![](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/slidesz/AGV_vUcAN59Yl56m_fFTA4T6Hy9mIwgWRyVILftyiV0zK5LBlNr0z9CtXbGM2Ds7u3F62fX8nX0j0HwFe0P8aahK_00gXESeyeQn8-8JmAdE5u9epJxbPEjHeEY7Gr7vq0ZwTOVYh89E5A=s2048?key=GGmIlUfxi3cwLoUUF9rHqQ)\n\n# **The Team**\n\nJason and Steve studied aerospace engineering together at Penn State University and founded Perseus Defense in 2025.\n\n**Jason (CEO)** designed NASA’s Titan Dragonfly space helicopter, led a NASA advanced projects team to design a next-generation Mars helicopter, and has contributed to multiple aerospace programs across NASA, the DoD, and commercial sectors. He holds a PhD in aerospace engineering with specializations in aircraft design, supercomputing, and machine learning. Jason also taught Aerodynamics at Stanford, speaks four languages, and founded an international drone competition.\n\n**Steve (CTO)** has worked as a swarm robotics researcher focused on building and deploying real-world autonomy. He won swarm robotics competitions with the Office of Naval Research, built autonomy that allows commercial aircraft to land themselves at Boeing, and developed collaborative behaviors for Unmanned Surface Vehicles at Applied Intuition.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=91870&key=user_uploads/1658535/2c3d3f2c-7cd2-4a48-a4f2-f19631938c29)\n\n_Prepping a UAS-mounted Missile (Prototyped in 1.5 weeks)_\n\n# **🙏 Our Ask:**\n\nIf you answer “yes” to any of these, we’d love your help:\n\n* Have you been wondering how $500,000 CUAS solutions are supposed to combat $1,000 drones at scale?\n* Can you introduce us to end-users across the DoD or DHS that are looking for better solutions to protect our troops, our country, and our allies?\n\n👉 Contact us at [founders@perseusdefense.com](mailto:founders@perseusdefense.com)\n\nYour help can make a huge difference as we work to protect the folks we care about abroad and here at home. **Thank you!**", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Ntm-perseus-defense-building-america-s-iron-dome-for-drones", "votes": 40, "created_at": "2025-07-04T16:47:48.545Z" } ] }, { "id": 30965, "name": "Icarus", "slug": "icarus", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/641db1cdc907f274cb944fd6796edc486aa6d653.png", "website": "https://www.icarus.one/", "all_locations": "Los Angeles, CA, USA", "long_description": "Icarus is building the modern-day U-2 spy plane. Our autonomous solar aircraft fly at 60,000 feet for weeks at a time, eventually months and years, above weather and below satellites. They deliver persistent intelligence and connectivity for the military at a fraction of the cost of existing systems. The stratosphere is the forgotten frontier.", "one_liner": "Stratospheric birds for defense", "team_size": 50, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1759599519, "tags": [ "Hardware", "Aerospace", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Fall 2025", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/icarus", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/fall-2025/icarus.json", "year_founded": 2023, "city": "Los Angeles", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/icarusindustries", "x_url": "https://x.com/henicarus", "fb_url": "https://youtu.be/srWVWG19OXY", "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/641db1cdc907f274cb944fd6796edc486aa6d653.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [ "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/45b66df3250ad001f948f6fadbc64ac7b238e4ff.png", "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/ce10c519656481bb9706dbff7696efcfd518d51e.png" ], "primary_partner": { "name": "Garry Tan", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/garry-tan" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 816302, "full_name": "Henry K.", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder & CEO of Icarus. At Orbital, Henry built satellites and helped win a $935M NASA contract to build a space habitat. He saw firsthand how Space is constrained by orbital mechanics. Additionally, he has designed and flown drones for NASA flight sciences, was a finalist in two NASA aerospace design competitions, and previously advised Fortune 500 clients on strategy at Deloitte. He holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Top Secret SCI clearance.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://linkedin.com/in/kwan-henry", "x_url": "https://x.com/henicarus", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/257390481b4aa625bb9681ca4060c4aa11f46da2.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 89446, "title": "Senior Electrical Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/icarus/jobs/mkkPiGN-senior-electrical-engineer", "location": "Los Angeles, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Electrical", "salary_range": "$120K - $220K", "equity_range": "", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 89447, "title": "Senior Embedded Software Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/icarus/jobs/rB9hg8j-senior-embedded-software-engineer", "location": "Los Angeles, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Embedded systems", "salary_range": "$120K - 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Nobody was going to teach me embedded electronics or PCB design, so I taught myself.\n\nSince then, I've built Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training and diagnostic hardware for militaries - plus a few projects I'm still not allowed to talk about. I've trained special forces in fifth-generation warfare and modern IED tech.\n\nI'm from a small island called Guernsey. These days I run a company building tech that keeps the country safe.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-le-maitre-a9138a159/", "x_url": "https://www.x.com/Alex_10200", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/ddba90120d950889505bd3c360846048249d8f03.jpg" }, { "user_id": 2537241, "full_name": "Matthew Le Maitre", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Ex-Jane Street SWE, Top-Ranked CS Grad @ Cambridge, now building Defence Tech.\n\nPhysicist → Researcher → Consultant → Software Engineer → Founder 🚀\n\nTrying never to lose my inner child, whilst building things that really matter.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattlemaitre/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/db02b50873d95d057676e7071ea66492a4dce742.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 94035, "title": "Senior Hardware Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/seeing-systems/jobs/sAnZW1T-senior-hardware-engineer", "location": "London, England, GB", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Hardware", "salary_range": "£60K - £90K GBP", "equity_range": "0.25% - 1.00%", "experience": "Any (new grads ok)", "visa": "US citizenship/visa not required", "skills": [ "CAD Design", "Altium" ] }, { "id": 94262, "title": "Electrical Engineering Intern", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/seeing-systems/jobs/QbVAgqi-electrical-engineering-intern", "location": "London, England, GB", "type": "Internship", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Hardware", "salary_range": "£2K - £3K GBP / monthly", "equity_range": "", "experience": null, "visa": "US citizenship/visa not required", "skills": [ "CAD Design", "Altium" ] }, { "id": 94623, "title": "Software Engineering Intern", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/seeing-systems/jobs/pBZFivv-software-engineering-intern", "location": "London, England, GB / Christchurch, England, GB", "type": "Internship", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "£2K - £3K GBP / monthly", "equity_range": "", "experience": null, "visa": "US citizenship/visa not required", "skills": [ "Arduino", "Python", "AI Agents" ] }, { "id": 98786, "title": "Mechanical Hardware Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/seeing-systems/jobs/zlM5hzH-mechanical-hardware-engineer", "location": "London, England, GB", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Hardware", "salary_range": "£30K - £45K GBP", "equity_range": "0.10% - 0.25%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "CAD Design" ] }, { "id": 98787, "title": "Electrical Hardware Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/seeing-systems/jobs/p0iWpIm-electrical-hardware-engineer", "location": "London, England, GB", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Embedded systems", "salary_range": "£30K - £45K GBP", "equity_range": "0.10% - 0.25%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "Altium" ] } ], "news": [ { "title": "Welcoming General Wesley Clark and General Sir Richard Shirreff to Our Advisory Board - Seeing Systems", "url": "https://www.seeing-systems.com/two-of-natos-most-senior-commanders-join-our-advisory-board/", "date": "Jun 27, 2026" }, { "title": "Як Seeing Systems з Y Combinator тестує автономні дрони в Україні ", "url": "https://ain.ua/2026/05/25/seeing-systems-ukraine/", "date": "May 25, 2026" }, { "title": "The Top 8 Robotics and Drone Startups in YC W26 - The Silicon Valley Post", "url": "https://svpost.com/articles/top-robotics-drone-startups-yc-w26/", "date": "Mar 18, 2026" }, { "title": "Alexander Le Maitre on Attritable Systems and Agentic Warfare | AIPressRoom", "url": "https://aipressroom.com/alexander-le-maitre-seeing-systems/", "date": "Feb 23, 2026" }, { "title": "‘Their acceptance rate is less than 1% – it’s harder than Harvard’", "url": "https://guernseypress.com/news/2026/02/11/their-acceptance-rate-is-less-than-1percent-its-harder-than-harvard", "date": "Feb 10, 2026" } ], "launches": [ { "id": 97412, "title": "Seeing Systems: Modular Autonomous Drones for Modern Warfare", "tagline": "We build modular, autonomous strike drones that adapt as warfare evolves.", "body": "# **Hey everyone**\n\nWe’re Alex & Matthew - The brothers building **Seeing Systems**.\n\n---\n\n## **TL;DR**\n\nWe're building **inexpensive, autonomous strike drones** designed to stay operationally relevant as warfare evolves. By combining true hardware modularity with an agentic control system that lowers cognitive load on operators, we enable faster upgrades, broader adoption, and more than 2x reduction in lifecycle cost.\n\nOur customers and partners include the UK Royal Marine Commandos, several other units in the UK, and 4 other NATO forces, and we are currently shipping prototypes to Ukraine for iterative feedback.\n\n\n\n## **Problem**\n\nMilitary forces face two linked challenges:\n\n1. **Platform Obsolescence:** Fixed drones require replacement or major rebuilds whenever missions or threats evolve, driving high costs and slowing operational adaptation.\n2. **The One Pilot Problem:** One person can only control one drone at once, requiring full attention.\n\nCountless stories can be found of western drone systems becoming obsolete, needing to be shelved and eventually replaced.\n\nA Few Examples:\n\n* \n* \n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=97412&key=user_uploads/2822007/9dfb1275-b59e-4c17-9862-3a9d8a11534d)\n\n# **Solution**\n\nWe build autonomous, modular drones that solve both problems at once:\n\n* **Modular hardware:** Swappable payloads, sensors, compute, and comms let one platform support strike, ISR, or swarm missions. Upgradable and effective year after year.\n* **Agentic autonomy:** Automates tasks like navigation and coordination, so operators with no prior training can use systems to their full effectiveness.\n\nHow do we know? Well, Forward Deployed Engineers. Giving each unit we work with a point of contact, we take feedback and integrate them into our system in a matter of hours. A close collaboration with the UK Royal Marines Commandos is actually what led to the development of this system.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=97412&key=user_uploads/2822007/7170ca7a-bd1d-4d2b-a6a7-f77ce762975e)\n\n## **The Team**\n\n**Matthew Le Maitre - Co-Founder, Software**\n\nFormer Jane Street Software Engineer and top-ranked CS graduate from the University of Cambridge. Matthew’s path started at the Mobile Robotics Lab at Cambridge, where he worked on autonomous systems and context-aware drones. He now leads the software side of Seeing Systems.\n\n**Alex Le Maitre - Co-Founder, Hardware**\n\nAlex has been obsessed with unmanned systems since childhood and is largely self-taught in embedded electronics, firmware, and PCB design. He has previously designed Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) training and diagnostic hardware for military users, alongside projects with national-security implications. Originally from the island of Guernsey, Alex now leads hardware development with a focus on building robust systems that help keep our people safe.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=97412&key=user_uploads/2822007/dfc9b55c-c1b7-4ac3-a6bb-8e7760b2d006)\n\nIf you’re a military contractor, defense organisation or special forces unit looking for a real operational edge, contact us at [founders@seeing-systems.com](mailto:founders@seeing-systems.com) &[ www.seeing-systems.com](http://www.seeing-systems.com)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/PLA-seeing-systems-modular-autonomous-drones-for-modern-warfare", "votes": 30, "created_at": "2026-02-02T21:03:43.432Z" } ] }, { "id": 31193, "name": "9 Mothers", "slug": "9-mothers-corporation", "former_names": [ "9 Mothers Corporation" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/84622897534f7613d85e63267d30b56cc2f7e6df.png", "website": "https://9mothers.com", "all_locations": "Austin, TX, USA", "long_description": "We have sold $1.6m of systems to the DoW. Multiple systems delivered to the DoW.\r\n\r\nOur first product - EDDA - is a counter drone system - small, low power, low cost fully autonomous-capable. It's designed to be used on vehicles, bases, or carried - to stop group 1 suicide drones. We have multiple contracts, sales, etc.\r\n\r\nWe have 3 more products with demand in various stages of development.\r\n\r\nMore details at https://9mothers.com", "one_liner": "Counter Drone Systems. $1.6m sales. We delivered for the DoW.", "team_size": 19, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1772383071, "tags": [], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Spring 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/spring-2026/9-mothers-corporation.json", "year_founded": 2024, "city": "Austin", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/9-mothers/", "x_url": "https://x.com/9mothers", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/9-mothers", "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/84622897534f7613d85e63267d30b56cc2f7e6df.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Garry Tan", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/garry-tan" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 1373, "full_name": "Russell Smith", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Making AI weapon systems.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://linkedin.com/in/russellhowardsmith", "x_url": "https://twitter.com/rhs", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/dcc190c89daafc72944459c467954eb47e85a782.jpg" }, { "user_id": 164423, "full_name": "Roman Khomenko", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "Co-founder of 9 Mothers Defense. Previously Data Scientist at Rainforest QA (YC S12), hacker, and builder of weird things. I love everything old: Lisp, NES games, IRC, trackers, and 8-bit music. Now building AI-driven counter-drone systems.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/dowakin/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/6ce8bc5bf11e2df03e67f2ae8f55482ed87c6250.jpg" }, { "user_id": 1175122, "full_name": "Bogdan Pyzh", "title": "Founder/COO", "founder_bio": "Building Counter-Drone Systems.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/bogdan-pyzh-b5b77388", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/ca74049c4fb72b44515d11f0bb4517e374b481c7.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 92228, "title": "Machine Learning Engineer, Senior", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/dP71lRK-machine-learning-engineer-senior", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$150K - $250K", "equity_range": "0.02% - 0.05%", "experience": "6+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "Torch/PyTorch" ] }, { "id": 92229, "title": "Robotics Engineer, Senior", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/H8698y1-robotics-engineer-senior", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$150K - $250K", "equity_range": "0.02% - 0.05%", "experience": "6+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 92234, "title": "Senior Mechatronics Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/IbKw8oR-senior-mechatronics-engineer", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$150K - $250K", "equity_range": "0.01% - 0.05%", "experience": "6+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 92239, "title": "Lead Mechatronics Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/BQMcLKU-lead-mechatronics-engineer", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$250K - $400K", "equity_range": "0.01% - 0.05%", "experience": "6+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 92240, "title": "Robotics Engineer, Staff", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/RV7DqvO-robotics-engineer-staff", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$250K - $400K", "equity_range": "0.01% - 0.05%", "experience": "6+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 94660, "title": "Computer Vision Engineer, Senior", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/esvM9FY-computer-vision-engineer-senior", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$150K - $250K", "equity_range": "0.01% - 0.05%", "experience": "5+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 94661, "title": "Perception Engineer, Staff", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/H5NGycV-perception-engineer-staff", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$250K - $300K", "equity_range": "0.02% - 0.05%", "experience": "8+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] }, { "id": 94662, "title": "Embedded Engineer (BSP), Staff", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/9-mothers-corporation/jobs/53o387J-embedded-engineer-bsp-staff", "location": "Austin", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$250K - $300K", "equity_range": "0.02% - 0.05%", "experience": "8+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] } ], "news": [ { "title": "At Fort Bragg, a jam session for a \"new era of warfare\"", "url": "https://www.axios.com/2026/08/26/sandhills-army-forterra-9mothers-drones-autonomy", "date": "Aug 25, 2026" }, { "title": "U.S. Army tests self-driving truck with drone-killing turret", "url": "https://defence-blog.com/u-s-army-tests-self-driving-truck-with-drone-killing-turret/", "date": "Aug 22, 2026" }, { "title": "A Tale of Two Techs: A Unique Partnership for Drone Defense Solutions", "url": "https://www.recoilweb.com/a-tale-of-two-techs-a-unique-partnership-for-drone-defense-solutions-193182.html", "date": "Aug 18, 2026" }, { "title": "The U.S. Army tested a (semi)-autonomous Ford F-250 equipped with the Edda counter-drone turret during Project Sandhills 2.0 at Fort Bragg on August 18.", "url": "https://www.instagram.com/p/DcYmX9RDGpU/", "date": "Aug 17, 2026" }, { "title": "Drone Ultimatum - 9 Mothers", "url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag5LVytT1dU", "date": "Aug 16, 2026" } ], "launches": [ { "id": 102597, "title": "9 Mothers - AI mission systems", "tagline": "EDDA - is a tiny robot that protects soldiers and critical assets from Group 1 suicide drones", "body": "We make AI mission systems for the DoW.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=102597&key=user_uploads/1373/31af3058-9bd9-48b5-8b9a-4840055d12f9)\n\nOur first product - EDDA - is a tiny robot that protects soldiers and critical assets from Group 1 suicide drones. We are building it small enough and cheap enough to put that protection on everything: every vehicle, every position, every asset. EDDA defeats fast group 1 threats that fielded systems consistently miss. Operators evaluating it have told us it's the only system that's stopped fast Group 1 - we'll let them speak for themselves when they can.\n\n\n\nWhy this? We were watching people die in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and ended up researching the state of the union on defeating suicide drones. It was insanely bad - over-focus on RF, EW, and larger systems - all with obvious flaws. Nothing was working, all demos were of slow speed or static drones. RF & EW are somewhere between dead-ends and table-stakes, and the larger systems had many flaws. So, we felt compelled to fix it.\n\n\n\nThe U.S. and allies are up-against this threat with no viable solution, until now. We have multiple contracts, and have sold and delivered multiple systems.\n\nOur next 3 products follow the same vein - delivering working systems at low SWaPc.", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Qgn-9-mothers-ai-mission-systems", "votes": 10, "created_at": "2026-06-05T18:10:21.843Z" } ] }, { "id": 31287, "name": "DAIVIN!", "slug": "daivin", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/81520915f1b23922d076f3d69ef70548eb14face.png", "website": "https://www.daivin.tech/", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "DAIVIN! builds tankless dive gear that unlocks breath autonomy in extreme environments. Starting from underwater environment our mission is to remove the need for dangerous, heavy and bulky oxygen tanks in space, air and on land and replace them with water!", "one_liner": "Tankless Dive Gear - Breath Autonomy at Sea, Land & Space", "team_size": 1, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1768898093, "tags": [], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Winter 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": [ { "question": "How did your company get started? (i.e., How did the founders meet? How did you come up with the idea? How did you decide to be a founder?)", "answer": "The idea started while diving. I surfaced, sat in a coffee shop, and asked a simple question: fish breathe underwater without tanks - why can’t humans? Diving gear is heavy, complex, and logistically constrained, yet the surrounding water already contains the oxygen we need. I looked into the physics and realized this wasn’t a biology problem, but an energy problem. By applying electricity to water, it’s possible to generate breathable oxygen on demand. That insight led me to start DAIVIN!. With support from my family and people along the journey, I committed full-time to turning that idea into a working system!" }, { "question": "What is the core problem you are solving? Why is this a big problem? What made you decide to work on it?", "answer": "The core problem is that human access to the ocean is still constrained by heavy, pressurized gas tanks. Diving depends on transporting, storing, and managing large volumes of breathing gas, which drives cost, complexity, and risk.\r\n\r\nThis is a big problem because tanks scale poorly. Supporting a single diver for hours can require dozens of cylinders weighing hundreds of kilograms / lbs, with significant capital cost, operating cost, and logistical overhead. These systems also introduce failure modes - equipment issues remain a major contributor to serious diving accidents.\r\n\r\nI decided to work on this after diving myself and realizing the constraint isn’t oxygen availability, but how we access it. Water already contains the oxygen we need. If a diver can generate breathable oxygen on demand using water and electricity, tanks - and the risks and logistics that come with them - can be removed. That realization led me to build DAIVIN!" }, { "question": "What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?", "answer": "Our long-term vision is to eliminate oxygen tanks entirely and replace them with on-demand breathing from water. Oxygen should not be a logistics problem; it should be generated where it’s needed.\r\n\r\nIf we succeed, access to extreme environments changes fundamentally. In the ocean, in space, at high altitude, in crisis zones, hospitals, and aircraft, breathing will no longer depend on transporting and storing pressurized gas. It will depend on water and energy - resources that are far more abundant, safer, and cheaper.\r\n\r\nThis shift matters because water is everywhere and oxygen gas is not. In space, oxygen exists in ice. In the ocean, it’s in water. On mountains, it’s in snow. Treating oxygen as something to be hauled around in tanks is a legacy constraint.\r\n\r\nJust as early semiconductor advances made computing ubiquitous, on-demand oxygen generation can unlock sustained human presence in environments that are currently difficult, dangerous, or inaccessible. Our goal is to make those environments reachable, scalable, and safe.\r\n\r\nCheck the dive video out here: " } ], "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/daivin", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/winter-2026/daivin.json", "year_founded": 2025, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/daivin", "x_url": "https://x.com/DAIVIN_TECH", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/daivin#overview", "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/81520915f1b23922d076f3d69ef70548eb14face.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [ "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/a158e55f932059d99046e384673afd9169457796.png" ], "primary_partner": { "name": "Tyler Bosmeny", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/tyler-bosmeny" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 1925087, "full_name": "Leo Kankkunen", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Invented and tested the first-ever tankless dive gear in history. Served in the military and became the youngest top-certified electrical engineer in Europe, authorized to independently sign electrical High-Voltage power line constructions. B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and an M.Sc. in IEM and Innovation Management. A certified diver and two-time founder with a strong background in deep tech and innovation.\n", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-kankkunen/", "x_url": "https://x.com/se4lion", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/8a6fef592b9190f2c2baaca1d26521593038ba9a.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 96969, "title": "DAIVIN! - We let humans breathe underwater (without oxygen tanks!)", "tagline": "We use electrolysis to extract oxygen from water and convert it into breathable gas for divers", "body": "Hey everyone I´m [Leo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-kankkunen/), the founder of [DAIVIN!](https://www.daivin.tech/)\n\n**TL;DR**\\\nDid you know, a single bottle of water contains enough oxygen to **sustain a** **human for a day?**\n\nDAIVIN uses electrolysis to extract the oxygen from water and convert it into breathable gas for divers, enabling tankless underwater breathing limited only by battery duration.\n\nDemo video: \n\n👤 **The Team**\\\nHi I’m Leo, I’m an electrical engineer with seven years of experience in the electrical industry and the youngest person in Finland to achieve the highest national electrical certification, authorizing me to independently execute and sign off complex electrical power lines. I’m also a certified diver and served in the military.\n\n# ❌ **The Problem**\n\nUnderwater diving technology hasn’t changed in almost 100 years, and is rife with problems:\n\n1. **Intense oxygen tank logistics.** Oxygen tanks hard-limit where, when, and how long a dive can happen. In elite and remote operations, logistics - not depth or physics - sets the limits on mobility, mission flexibility, safety, and cost.\n2. **Unsafe by design:** Pressurized gas systems add mass, failure modes, and cognitive load, making diving roughly **1,000× more dangerous than flying**. DAIVIN! replaces stored gas with on-demand oxygen generated from water.\n3. **Slow and exposed:** Bulky gear forces divers to move \\~5× slower than walking, extending task time and exposure. DAIVIN! reduces bulk and drag to restore underwater mobility.\n4. **Cost-prohibitive** Professional dive systems cost tens of thousands of dollars, with helium exceeding **$100 per tank**.\n\n# ✅ **Our Solution: Apply electricity to the water around you and dive safer, longer, and deeper than ever**\n\nDAIVIN! removes tanks entirely, enabling missions to start anywhere with a shoebox-sized system.\\\n\\\n\\*\\*Put on the vest:\\*\\*\\\nYou wear a lightweight vest with triple-redundant electrolyzers.\n\n\\*\\*Strap on the batteries:\\*\\*\\\nA lightweight battery belt replaces the traditional weight belt. The system is quadruple-redundant at the circuitry level, meaning that even if a wire were to fail, three independent paths per electrolyzer maintain continuous gas generation.\n\n**Electrolyzing H₂O**\\\nOur device uses the resource you are already in: water. We apply traditional electrolysis, where DC current splits the water molecule (H₂O) into oxygen (O₂) for breathing and hydrogen (H₂), enabling deep diving to depths of 200 meters / 650 ft without nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity or dependence on expensive helium.\n\n\\*\\*Dive Freely:\\*\\*\\\nIf decompression is required, decompression time is reduced because hydrogen exits body tissues faster than nitrogen. If entangled, a single palm sized battery can provide **up to one hour of additional breathing time**. If operating remotely with no support team, recharge anywhere using solar power. No tank logistics. No cognitive load.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=96969&key=user_uploads/1925087/29ed7bd4-aeaf-449a-b96e-e3ab81eb7a3d)\n\n# **✨Future**\n\nToday, oxygen is treated as a logistics problem: moving heavy, pressurized gas from point A to point B. That framing is wrong. Oxygen is fundamentally an **energy problem**.\n\nWhere logistics break down, on-demand generation wins. In crisis zones or at high altitude, carrying tanks is a liability. It is far more efficient to carry - or source - water and convert it into oxygen when needed, whether for wounded personnel or climbers operating far from support.\n\nThe same logic applies to space. A pressurized oxygen tank is limited in gas supply, but water is abundant, and already present. In space, we won’t transport air; we’ll extract oxygen from ice.\n\nEven in airplanes and hospitals, oxygen delivery still relies on bulky tanks or legacy systems like pressure swing adsorption that consume space and deliver lower purity oxygen. From first principles, water plus electricity yields the highest-purity oxygen possible.\n\nWe’ve been hauling the container when we should have been bringing the source.\n\n# 🌊 **How you can help!**\n\n* If you know professional or commercial divers, We´d love to speak with them.\n* 📧 [leo.kankkunen@daivin.tech](mailto:leo.kankkunen@daivin.tech)\n* Follow us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/daivin/), [X](https://x.com/DAIVIN_TECH) and check our [Website](https://www.daivin.tech/)\n* **Share this post!**", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/PE1-daivin-we-let-humans-breathe-underwater-without-oxygen-tanks", "votes": 32, "created_at": "2026-01-23T05:08:49.579Z" } ] }, { "id": 31325, "name": "Surtr Defense Systems", "slug": "surtr-defense-systems", "former_names": [ "Overwatch Systems", "Parallax" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/ab5a7de765aab31de659bc6429451ecb734f5da7.png", "website": "https://surtrdefense.com", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "Surtr builds ParallaxOS, the open operating system for counter-UAS. It takes sensor data from any radar, RF detector, camera, or acoustic array and fuses it into a single unified picture with AI-driven threat classification and engagement recommendations. One interface, any hardware, human in the loop.", "one_liner": "The hardware-agnostic operating system for drone defense", "team_size": 2, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1778573258, "tags": [], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Spring 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/surtr-defense-systems", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/spring-2026/surtr-defense-systems.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/surtr-defense-systems/", "x_url": "https://x.com/surtrdefense", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/ab5a7de765aab31de659bc6429451ecb734f5da7.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Andrew Miklas", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/andrew-miklas" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 679653, "full_name": "Anshul Ahluwalia", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Ex Shield-AI Autonomy Engineer working on building open & modular C2 for Counter UAS", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/anshul-ahluwalia-17658264/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/6a20e16eff2335e51f70f393b84179b4fc849444.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3421205, "full_name": "Cameron Fiore", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Building a hardware-agnostic, AI operating system for air defense. Before Surtr, I was an an autonomy engineer at Anduril and Shield AI, where I worked on missile defense systems and robot teaming in contested environments.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/camfiore/", "x_url": "https://x.com/cam_fiore", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/bff72c22089a586864267add9be8d49f18c357a0.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [ { "title": "Exclusive: Surtr Raises $5M Seed for C-UAS Integration", "url": "https://www.tectonicdefense.com/exclusive-surtr-raises-5m-seed-for-c-uas-integration/", "date": "Jul 07, 2026" } ], "launches": [ { "id": 101258, "title": "Surtr Defense Systems", "tagline": "An Open Operating System for Counter-UAS", "body": "TLDR: We solve the interoperability problem in drone defense by being the operating system people actually trust and want to integrate with\n\n**What We Do**\n\nSurtr builds ParallaxOS, the open operating system for counter-UAS. It takes sensor data from any radar, RF detector, camera, or acoustic array and fuses it into a single unified picture with AI-driven threat classification and engagement recommendations. One interface, any hardware, human in the loop.\n\n**Demo Video**\n\n\n\n**Backstory**\n\nMy cofounder Cam and I are both autonomy engineers. I was at Shield AI building autonomy for Group 3 & Group 5 aircrafts. Cam was at Anduril doing the same.\n\nWe both saw the same problem from the inside: integrating sensors and effectors into existing C2 platforms is painful. The incumbent system uses a proprietary SDK with a revocable license where they alone decide who counts as \"compatible.\" Primes don't want to build on that. One OEM Cam worked with on Golden Dome refused to integrate, so the C2 vendor had to hire a third party to hack the data off the radar. More time, more money, worse product.\n\nParallaxOS is designed to be completely open. Anyone integrating with us has full transparency as to how their sensor/effector data is being used and where it’s being stored.\n\n**Asks**\n\n1\\. **Intros to defense program managers** working C-UAS (Army, SOCOM, Air Force, Navy, allied forces, etc.). Especially anyone evaluating or frustrated with current integration timelines.\n\n2\\. **Intros to sensor/effector hardware companies** (radar, RF, EO/IR, EW, kinetic defeat). We integrate with any hardware that has an API. Every partner that plugs in makes the ecosystem stronger for everyone.\n\n3\\. **Intros to anyone with firsthand experience operating C-UAS systems.** We want to hear what's broken from the people who use it.", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/QLC-surtr-defense-systems", "votes": 8, "created_at": "2026-05-13T06:04:46.304Z" } ] }, { "id": 31442, "name": "AICE", "slug": "aice", "former_names": [ "AICE Power" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/581bc66ce17e1873b4f5c5446cc221ea8275a118.png", "website": "https://aicepower.com", "all_locations": "Paris, Île-de-France, France", "long_description": "We are building the next generation of underwater defense systems: autonomous swarms of modular marine drones to secure naval assets and coastal infrastructure against evolving underwater threats.", "one_liner": "Submarine drones for defense", "team_size": 2, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1775067317, "tags": [], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Spring 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "France", "Europe" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/aice", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/spring-2026/aice.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "Paris", "country": "FR", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/aice-power/", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/581bc66ce17e1873b4f5c5446cc221ea8275a118.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [ "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/efc19e968b4aac30b338d3299405049ca797e33f.png" ], "primary_partner": { "name": "Nicolas Dessaigne", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/nicolas-dessaigne" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 3424825, "full_name": "Gregoire Chomette", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Building the future of underwater warfare.\nPreviously @ NASA working on asteroid threats. MIT AeroAstro MSc. (2021)", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoirechomette/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/64481f5712beabd95b9fc5a5eed33808aaa81a57.jpg" }, { "user_id": 2324173, "full_name": "Rémi Bouteiller", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Building the future of underwater warfare.\nEuropean Robotic Champion with RCVA", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/remi-bouteiller/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/7207bf5a90a6813a21d843f02fb8d4f0a70d63b0.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 102410, "title": "AICE Power - Underwater drones for defense", "tagline": "Modular subsea drone swarms for defense", "body": "Hey everyone,\n\n**TLDR**: we are building a new generation of UUVs (Unmanned Underwater Vehicle) for defense of critical maritime infrastructure.\n\nThe evolution of modern battlefields shows the same pattern everywhere: highly expensive military systems are increasingly being challenged by agile, low-cost technologies produced at scale.\n\nIn Ukraine, cheap aerial drones have transformed warfare and forced entire defense doctrines to adapt. We think the same shift is about to happen underwater, and are obsessed with the question of what the “drone moment” for underwater warfare would look like.\n\nSo we started speaking with submariners, naval operators, ex-commandos, and defense engineers. The demand signal was much stronger than we expected, and the common need is always the same: **cost-effective** and highly **modular** underwater **vehicles** acting in **swarms** that can **adapt quickly** to operational requirements (speed, range, sonar equipment, payloads, etc.). Today, very few solutions exist.\n\nA couple of days after deciding to pivot, we wanted to move as fast as possible and get something real in the water before Demo Day. So we built our **first modular prototype within a week**. It already integrates the main subsystems and was designed to evolve quickly based on operator feedback and mission requirements. Here is a photo:\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=102410&key=user_uploads/3424825/4d4a7af2-8dcc-4dac-9ddd-037f9606cdba)\n\n**Our ask:**\n\nWould love to connect with people across the defense ecosystem - especially naval operators, submariners, maritime special operations, and teams working on subsea robotics, maritime autonomy, or distributed naval warfare across Europe, NATO, and allied countries.", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Qdm-aice-power-underwater-drones-for-defense", "votes": 11, "created_at": "2026-06-02T13:13:02.084Z" } ] }, { "id": 31535, "name": "Arlo Industries", "slug": "arlo-industries", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/9516f2cea09963c1b9ba307c35589a5d194c61c0.png", "website": "https://arlo1.com/", "all_locations": "New York City, NY, USA", "long_description": "Arlo Industries is building a network of sensors that precisely tracks stealthy drones and aerial threats better than radars.\r\n\r\nThis capability does not exist yet because traditional radars are built on past war doctrines designed to protect single, centralised assets. Modern warfare, however, demands wide-area, persistent coverage that is both passive and economically scalable. By utilising a mesh architecture, Arlo Industries unlocks unprecedented asymmetric economics. The network is fundamentally built to scale: the cost of adding sensors grows linearly, but the tracking accuracy increases exponentially, delivering highly resilient, persistent coverage for a fraction of the cost of legacy systems.\r\n\r\nDeo founded Arlo Industries after spending over 6 years in the Israeli defence ecosystem, where he lived through multiple conflicts and experienced the Iron Dome and other systems in action against ICBMs and the infamous Shahed drones. Learning exactly how these defence systems could be improved after a Shahed exploded close to his apartment, he built Arlo Industries around the core philosophy that conflict should be concise & precise.\r\n\r\nThe people behind Arlo1 includes a PhD in drones and autonomy and military experts.\r\n\r\nArlo Industries has actively showcased this technology directly to Ukrainian militaries on the frontlines, as well as to operators across Europe and the USA.", "one_liner": "Track drones and missiles without radars - Accurate, Passive, Scalable", "team_size": 3, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1778901342, "tags": [ "Hard Tech", "Hardware", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Spring 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada", "Remote", "Partly Remote" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/arlo-industries", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/spring-2026/arlo-industries.json", "year_founded": 2025, "city": "New York City", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/109767109/", "x_url": "https://x.com/deoarlo", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/9516f2cea09963c1b9ba307c35589a5d194c61c0.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [ "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/8c30398e6fbec40fc7ceb036a37a0024c0926d77.png", "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/c2bbb6ca28e8561d0326f8b86f11ce2c2bbb1a06.png" ], "primary_partner": { "name": "Andrew Miklas", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/andrew-miklas" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 836806, "full_name": "Deo Arlo (Iron Dome Guy)", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Deo is the Founder and CEO of Arlo Industries. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Technion Israel (birthplace of the Iron Dome) and lived there for over 6 years under multiple wars. As a Robotics Researcher at Technion, he developed and patented a novel robotic invention that spun out into a venture-backed company. Before Arlo Industries, he was the Co-founder and CTO of Makrverse, a funded platform helping engineers own and commercialise their inventions.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://linkedin.com/in/deoarlo", "x_url": "https://x.com/deoarlo", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/9af3f2e9119170995152885140fc223f0d1b75f5.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 95369, "title": "Perception Engineer (Edge CV/AI)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/arlo-industries/jobs/MdmYa3Z-perception-engineer-edge-cv-ai", "location": "San Francisco, CA, US / Troy, NY, US / Remote (Kyiv, Kyiv city, UA; Helsinki, Uusimaa, FI)", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Hardware", "salary_range": "$100K - $250K", "equity_range": "0.25% - 1.00%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "C++", "Python", "TensorFlow", "Distributed Systems", "Deep Learning", "CUDA", "GPU Programming", "OpenCV", "Computer Vision", "Embedded Linux", "Firmware", "Machine learning", "Sensor integration" ] }, { "id": 95372, "title": "Communications & Networking Engineer (Mesh / RF / Edge Systems)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/arlo-industries/jobs/RZXGfgu-communications-networking-engineer-mesh-rf-edge-systems", "location": "San Francisco, CA, US / Troy, NY, US / Remote (Kyiv, Kyiv city, UA; Helsinki, Uusimaa, FI)", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Electrical", "salary_range": "$150K - $250K", "equity_range": "0.25% - 1.00%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "C++", "Python", "TCP/IP", "Distributed Systems", "Software Architecture", "Information Security", "Embedded Linux", "Firmware", "Internet of Things (IoT)", "Microcontrollers", "Sensor integration" ] } ], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 101954, "title": "Arlo Industries: We track drones and missiles without radar 🚀", "tagline": "We build sensors that track drones & missiles better than radars", "body": "---\n\n**Hi, I'm Deo, founder of [Arlo Industries](https://arlo1.com/).**\n\n\n\n**The problem**\n\nModern air defence depends on active radars: expensive, emitting, and targetable. A single ground-based radar unit can cost tens of millions, broadcasts its location to anything listening, and leaves massive coverage gaps against low-altitude threats like drones.\n\nThis architecture was built for a different era. Today's threat, swarms of cheap drones and cruise missiles flying below radar coverage, exploits every weakness of centralised, active sensing.\n\n**What we're building**\n\nMentat is a passive, distributed sensing network.\n\n* **Tracks aerial objects in 3D without emitting**: invisible to the threats it detects\n* **Accurately track smaller threats**: our mesh works together to better pinpoint small targets\n* **Scales via many low-cost nodes**: instead of a few high-value targets, we employ asymmetric economics where adding nodes grows linearly in cost but tracking accuracy increases exponentially\n\nWe're the sensing layer, the force multiplier for every interceptor and C-UAS system in the market.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=101954&key=user_uploads/836806/ddbe92c9-897d-4e52-90ab-c8574ed7335c)\n\n**What we're really building**\n\nDrone detection is our wedge, not our ceiling. The real innovation isn't in any single sensor, it's in the network that ties it all together. We're building the foundational sensing and communications infrastructure layer for frontline defence. A distributed, resilient network that future defence technologies will plug into. Like the **Starlink before the Starship.**\n\n**Why now**\n\nLow-altitude airspace is increasingly contested. Ukraine, Nordics, Eastern Europe, & Middle East, operators everywhere are discovering that the cost curve of traditional radar doesn't scale against distributed drone threats. At the same time, edge compute, distributed systems, and passive optical sensing have reached the point where a fundamentally different architecture is viable.\n\n**Backstory**\n\nI spent 6+ years in Israel, living through multiple conflicts and seeing systems like Iron Dome operate against ballistic missiles and drones firsthand. When a Shahed drone exploded near my apartment, the gap between what exists and what's needed became personal. Since then, I've been in Ukraine and across Eastern Europe, working directly with military operators and validating in real conflict environments.\n\n📍Field Test - Ukraine\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=101954&key=user_uploads/836806/b380d961-dde4-4e50-b6eb-1cbf708e6d3c)\n\n**Traction**\n\n* Active technology demonstrations with Ukrainian military on the frontlines\n* Partnerships and military relationships across USA, Ukraine, Finland, and Estonia.\n* Team includes a PhD in drones/autonomy and military domain experts\n\n**Our asks**\n\n🔧 **Hiring:** We're looking for engineers in optics, signal processing, long-range comms, mesh networks, and off-grid embedded systems → [Jobs page](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/arlo-industries/jobs)\n\n🤝 **Intros:** Defense operators, C-UAS companies, or critical infrastructure partners (airports, energy, borders) dealing with aerial awareness gaps → please reach out on [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/deoarlo/)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/QWQ-arlo-industries-we-track-drones-and-missiles-without-radar", "votes": 55, "created_at": "2026-05-26T05:39:42.686Z" } ] }, { "id": 31582, "name": "Edgerun", "slug": "edgerun", "former_names": [ "Edgerun Industries" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/8fb84bc8b7f8d02b776dec7685bbaf102fdadf1c.png", "website": "https://edgerun.com", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "Edgerun builds military exoskeletons. The first product is a 10-pound hip system that fits over existing kit and doubles a soldier’s range. Since April 2026, Edgerun built over a dozen iterations of their product through continuous field tests with Ukrainian fighters and secured $150M+ in LOIs. Founder David Venegas previously co-founded Durin (autonomous mining robotics) and worked at Stoke Space (at 19) and Hadrian. He is a high-school dropout, state-championship runner, adventure athlete, and pilot. Edgerun is a Y Combinator company backed by General H.R. McMaster, Cyan Banister, Joshua Steinman and Jason Miller. edgerun.com", "one_liner": "Military exoskeletons", "team_size": 5, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1787343759, "tags": [ "Hard Tech", "Hardware", "Robotics", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/edgerun", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/edgerun.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/edgerun", "x_url": "https://x.com/edgerun_inc", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/edgerun-industries", "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/8fb84bc8b7f8d02b776dec7685bbaf102fdadf1c.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Tyler Bosmeny", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/tyler-bosmeny" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 1393855, "full_name": "David Venegas", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder of Edgerun, pro-human expansionist, state-championship runner, adventure athlete, and pilot.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-venegas-m/", "x_url": "https://x.com/davidvenegas", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/c10fbaaf669d694298a5fa036ff23e69baf933f4.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 109346, "title": "Principal Engineer, Embedded Systems", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/edgerun/jobs/6Pn7CiI-principal-engineer-embedded-systems", "location": "Palo Alto, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Embedded systems", "salary_range": "$220 - $325", "equity_range": "0.75% - 2.00%", "experience": "11+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "C++", "Firmware" ] }, { "id": 109347, "title": "Mechanical Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/edgerun/jobs/ugTXhoh-mechanical-engineer", "location": "Palo Alto, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Mechanical", "salary_range": "$120 - $180", "equity_range": "0.25% - 0.75%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "CAD Design", "Design systems" ] }, { "id": 109348, "title": "Electrical Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/edgerun/jobs/6YuWGTT-electrical-engineer", "location": "Palo Alto, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Electrical", "salary_range": "$120 - $180", "equity_range": "0.25% - 0.75%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "PCB design" ] }, { "id": 109349, "title": "Firmware Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/edgerun/jobs/0LmpEaM-firmware-engineer", "location": "Palo Alto, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Embedded systems", "salary_range": "$140 - $190", "equity_range": "0.25% - 0.75%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "C++", "Firmware" ] }, { "id": 109350, "title": "Software Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/edgerun/jobs/U3cSW0r-software-engineer", "location": "Palo Alto, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Full stack", "salary_range": "$150 - $200", "equity_range": "0.25% - 0.75%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "Amazon Web Services (AWS)", "C", "C++", "Python", "Data Warehousing", "Data Analytics" ] }, { "id": 110829, "title": "Supply Chain Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/edgerun/jobs/Ecz1f6N-supply-chain-engineer", "location": "Palo Alto, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Hardware", "salary_range": "$110 - $160", "equity_range": "0.25% - 0.75%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [] } ], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 112214, "title": "Edgerun: The 10 lb Military Exoskeleton", "tagline": "Powered exoskeleton that assists every step a soldier takes under combat load", "body": "**TL;DR:** Edgerun builds powered legs for soldiers. A 10 lb exoskeleton worn at the waist that adds assistance to every step and cuts the effort of moving under a combat load by 30-45%. Since May, we've run 100+ field tests with Ukrainian operators out of our Kyiv field office.\n\n\n\n**▍The problem**\n\nEvery system on the modern battlefield has been upgraded. The human carrying it has not.\n\n* For 2,500 years the soldier's load sat around 40 lbs. In the last 40 years it **doubled, then doubled again**.\n* A US infantryman now carries **90-140 lbs** into a fight. The Army's own field manual sets the limit at 48 lbs.\n* On deployment, load carriage causes **twice as many** evacuations as enemy contact.\n* The Pentagon and VA spend **$9.3B a year** on the injuries it leaves behind.\n\nBattles are won through speed and surprise. Load kills both.\n\n**▍Why now**\n\nSixty years of military exoskeletons died the same death. The device cost more to carry than it gave back. SOCOM's TALOS burned $400M before it was cancelled in 2019.\n\nThat all changed in the last 18 months. The humanoid robotics boom produced one-pound actuators that put out 30+ Nm of torque, and 21700 cells crossed 450 Wh/kg. The components finally exist. They’re getting better every quarter.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=112214&key=user_uploads/1393855/cd255b24-3429-4270-9670-e28fc8df360b)\n\n**▍What we built**\n\nOur first exoskeleton is a bilateral hip system worn at the waist. It reads your gait in real time and adds torque at the moment your hip drives forward. The hip produces about 60% of the force in loaded walking, so assisting it gives the most help-per-pound of anything you could strap to the body.\n\n* Under 10 lbs with batteries\n* 30-45% less metabolic cost under a combat load\n* On in 5 seconds, off in one\n* 12+ hours on hot-swappable drone-class batteries\n* Quasi-direct-drive actuators, composite structures, CAN bus. Nothing exotic by design.\n\nThe soldier arrives at the objective still able to fight, patrols 10 km farther, and keeps a body that lasts past one tour.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=112214&key=user_uploads/1393855/94bf48a9-0ba6-4ce7-94a2-f467cae9657c)\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=112214&key=user_uploads/1393855/883d1e98-900a-420a-b7ff-e56cc8911c0c)\n\n**▍Ukraine**\n\nOur field engineers work out of a Kyiv office, alongside operators from infantry, special operations, and National Guard units who provide structured feedback every day. [Balistyka](https://balistyka.ua/), one of Ukraine's leading body armor makers, is an integration partner, helping us ensure our system fits the kit soldiers already wear.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=112214&key=user_uploads/1393855/89a30d39-fe11-421c-abe7-32961da8d1bd)\n\n**▍The mission**\n\nDefense is the first customer, not the last. Read the mission at edgerun.com/mission", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/TBu-edgerun-the-10-lb-military-exoskeleton", "votes": 7, "created_at": "2026-08-25T16:19:00.453Z" } ] }, { "id": 32128, "name": "Mass Magnetics", "slug": "mass-magnetics", "former_names": [ "Mass Energy Company" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/26161cef0e683292e39a5da2d6258b38702473a0.png", "website": "https://massmagnetics.com/", "all_locations": "Boston, MA, USA", "long_description": "Mass Magnetics turns recycled rare-earth scrap into high-performance permanent magnets, made in America. The materials we supply are the backbone of electric motors, sensors, speakers, hard drives, and electronics.\r\nOur process enables DFARS-compliant magnets for defense, aerospace, and industrial manufacturers who demand domestic supply without compromising on quality.\r\nOperations in Greater Boston, MA (Greentown Labs) and Columbus, IN.", "one_liner": "USA-made magnetics for robotics and defense. ", "team_size": 3, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1786735839, "tags": [ "Hard Tech", "Robotics", "Drones", "Manufacturing", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/mass-magnetics", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/mass-magnetics.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "Boston", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/26161cef0e683292e39a5da2d6258b38702473a0.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Vivian Midha Shen", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/vivian-midha%20shen" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 3652354, "full_name": "Eric Silver", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder at Mass Magnetics. Worked in pilot cathode production for lithium-sulfur battery chemistries. Now I'm fixing American magnet supply chains. ", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/energyeric/", "x_url": "https://x.com/2998x10tothe8", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/c8160b42bdee61a0dff0fef65dd723b8cae326e3.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3637161, "full_name": "Matthew Groll", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Co-founder and CTO at Mass Magnetics. Former NASA/Columbia/MIT. Previously worked on thermal systems and guidance/navigation at NASA Johnson Space Center for ISS and Artemis lunar missions. Also previously worked as a Member of Technical Staff at Draper Laboratory. Studied Mechanical Engineering at Columbia, captaining the Formula SAE team and Robotics Club, then earned a Masters in Manufacturing from MIT.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-groll/", "x_url": "https://x.com/matthewxgroll", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/68e632830dda51ab14dec0fac18967c93ed5c8ed.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 110611, "title": "Mass Magnetics: USA-made magnets", "tagline": "Vertically integrated magnet manufacturing for aerospace, robotics and defense.", "body": "### **TL:DR; Mass Magnetics makes American magnets in minutes.**\n\n🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲🧲\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=110611&key=user_uploads/3652354/be41c9e5-378d-452f-a111-10380035f14d)\n\n**Every electric motor runs on rare-earth magnets.** EVs, drones, robots, wind turbines, guided munitions: nearly all of them are dependent on Chinese magnets. On January 1st, 20270, [regulation changes will make it illegal to deliver anything that walks, drives, or flies to US Defense if it contains a magnet produced in covered countries like China.](https://www.massmagnetics.com/comply) The domestic supply chain meant to replace it doesn't exist yet. **Mines take a decade to permit, and the ore they pull up leaves radioactive tailings behind, making permitting magnet mining a nightmare.**\n\nWe’re[ ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/energyeric)the founders, [Eric Silver](https://x.com/metalscontent) and [Matthew Grol](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-groll/)l (left and right in the pic below). We’ve known each other since grade school. Since then, Eric’s built multiple battery pilot production lines and materials science labs in the Midwest for NSF-funded companies. Matthew’s built exquisite aerospace gear including Moon-regolith melters and ultra-precise guidance systems for the world’s foremost labs at NASA, Draper, and MIT. **Together we’re making one bet: America's rare-earth problem isn't a mining problem.**\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=110611&key=user_uploads/3652354/2046e9de-2db6-47e8-91fc-651e31e5a834)\n\n**Mass Magnetics’ unfair advantage is sitting in end-of-life electric vehicles, hard drives, and industrial equipment.** The team uses AI models and robotics trained on real scrap to sort metallurgy by exact grade and chemistry. Then, a rapid-sintering process takes that reclaimed mass to a finished magnet in 3 minutes, where conventional approaches take over 4 hours. The result is a magnet as strong as anything imported, with no radioactive footprint or bureaucratic permitting, fully compliant for US defense.\n\n**If you build robots, drones or motors visit our site and reach out at [outreach@massmagnetics.com](mailto:outreach@massmagnetics.com) and get your magnets.**\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=110611&key=user_uploads/3652354/797eff3c-6d9d-4ffc-894b-664aece1ba74)\n\n", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Sm3-mass-magnetics-usa-made-magnets", "votes": 7, "created_at": "2026-08-18T14:30:00.079Z" } ] }, { "id": 32188, "name": "IMPACT Drones", "slug": "impact-drones", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/c7df3a5c9dfd6e7d9865e24f95f172c997a7183b.png", "website": "https://www.impact-drones.com", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "IMPACT builds autonomous interceptor drones that ship in sealed containers. The box sits at the site it protects, data centers, power grids, airports, bases, with no crew on the pad. When sensors cue a hostile drone, an interceptor pierces its own frangible lid, launches, and rams the target, guided by onboard vision that keeps working when GPS is jammed. Legacy effectors cost $1M+ per shot against $30k threats; ours cost less than the threat and scale with the swarm, the same class of interceptor already downing Shahed drones over Ukraine. Sites subscribe to protection instead of buying missiles, hardware, reloads and monitoring included: Air Defense as a Service. 180M+ USD in signed letters of intent.", "one_liner": "Air Defense as a Service for Civilian Infrastructure.", "team_size": 2, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1785702345, "tags": [ "Hardware", "Drones", "Swarm Robotics", "AI" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/impact-drones", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/impact-drones.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/impactdrones", "x_url": "https://x.com/impactdrones", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/c7df3a5c9dfd6e7d9865e24f95f172c997a7183b.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Tyler Bosmeny", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/tyler-bosmeny" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 3245067, "full_name": "Jasper Lortije", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Co-founder & CEO, Impact Drones. Aerospace engineer (MSc, TU Delft), over a decade building drones. Built the VTOL drone that won the Hannover Messe VTOL competition. Worked alongside special forces on the counter-drone security plan for the 2025 NATO Summit, protecting heads of state including President Trump.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasper-l/", "x_url": "https://x.com/JasperLort", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/a658fea832c15f888808bdf1131fe0fc62b3df85.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3677968, "full_name": "Alessandro Fiume", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "Co-founder at Impact Drones. Columbia MSc. Built the pipeline behind 180M+ USD in signed LOIs. At Bloomberg, drove 80% week-over-week growth in terminal activations closing 2M USD in contracts. Scholarship fellow to Columbia & ESCP, valedictorian of CIV, France.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandro-fiume45/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/afa1db0b96ca55b32dea0b32e29b6a0fe999eda2.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 114195, "title": "Founding Engineer, Robotics and Flight Software", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/impact-drones/jobs/dpDZ9V6-founding-engineer-robotics-and-flight-software", "location": "San Francisco, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Robotics", "salary_range": "$120K - $170K", "equity_range": "0.50% - 1.25%", "experience": "3+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "C++" ] }, { "id": 114196, "title": "Integration Engineer, Radar and Drone Software (Counter-UAS)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/impact-drones/jobs/LKeth6O-integration-engineer-radar-and-drone-software-counter-uas", "location": "San Francisco, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Embedded systems", "salary_range": "$100K - $150K", "equity_range": "0.20% - 0.40%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "C++", "Python", "Linux", "Sensor integration" ] }, { "id": 114197, "title": "Autonomy Engineer, Interceptor Drones", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/impact-drones/jobs/yVR7VxO-autonomy-engineer-interceptor-drones", "location": "San Francisco, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Robotics", "salary_range": "$110K - $160K", "equity_range": "0.25% - 0.45%", "experience": "1+ years", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "C++", "Python", "Computer Vision", "Embedded Linux" ] } ], "news": [ { "title": "Impact launches Air Defense as a Service: autonomous interceptor drones in a sealed box, deployed at the sites drones are already hitting - EDR Magazine", "url": "https://www.edrmagazine.eu/impact-launches-air-defense-as-a-service-autonomous-interceptor-drones-in-a-sealed-box-deployed-at-the-sites-drones-are-already-hitting", "date": "Aug 17, 2026" }, { "title": "Y Combinator-backed Impact Drones to offer missile-intercepting drone service for data centers and grid operators - DCD", "url": "https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/y-combinator-backed-impact-drones-launches-offers-missile-intercepting-drone-service-for-data-centers-and-grid-operators/", "date": "Aug 17, 2026" }, { "title": "Impact Launches Air Defense As Service Using Drone Interceptors | Aviation Week", "url": "https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/advanced-air-mobility/impact-launches-air-defense-service-using-drone-interceptors", "date": "Aug 17, 2026" }, { "title": "Impact Drones launches autonomous “air defence as a service” for critical infrastructure - Unmanned airspace", "url": "https://www.unmannedairspace.info/counter-uas-systems-and-policies/impact-drones-launches-autonomous-air-defence-as-a-service-for-critical-infrastructure/", "date": "Aug 06, 2026" } ], "launches": [ { "id": 108922, "title": "Impact Drones: Air Defense as a Service for Civilian Infrastructure", "tagline": "Containerized drone interception for airports, ports, data centers and power plants.", "body": "# \n\nWe build containerized cells of autonomous interceptors that protect critical civilian infrastructure from hostile drones. Park the cell next to anything you need to keep running: it detects an incoming threat, launches and physically neutralizes the incoming aerial threat. [www.impact-drones.com](http://www.impact-drones.com)\n\n**OUR LAUNCH VIDEO**\n\n\n\n**TL;DR:** Half this batch is building AI agents. Your agents live in data centers. And these sites are now under threat. In March, drones took three AWS data centers offline in the Middle East and a dozen core cloud services with them. **Amazon lost 200 million USD in one day.** We sell a box you put next to anything you'd rather keep: an interceptor pierces its own lid, and the threat stops existing. We'll keep your agents running.\n\n**Why now:** The drone threat went industrial and air defense math didn't.\n\n**A single patriot missile costs more than 1m USD to shoot down a drone worth 30k USD.** Critical infrastructure needs a defense system that can be deployed at scale without losing the cost-per-interception battle.\n\n**What we're building:** a cell holding autonomous interceptors, always charged, always ready for when a threat arises. Unlike jamming, our system physically intercepts the threat. Unlike conventional air-defense systems, it is designed specifically for protecting civilian infrastructure affordably and at scale.\n\n**Why us:** two founders who ship hardware fast.\n\n[@Jasper Lortije](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/user/3245067): aerospace engineer (MSc at TU Delft), previously founded a Dutch company building GNSS-denied visual navigation for autonomous systems.\n\n[@Alessandro Fiume](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/user/3677968): sales and operations, ex Bloomberg, MSBA at Columbia.\n\n**Our ask:** intros to the people who own the airspace problem: data center security and infrastructure leads (hyperscalers and neoclouds especially, your uptime now has an air defense dependency), airport operations directors, and energy grid security teams. And if you're building agents: we're literally your uptime insurance, come say hi. [jasper@impact-drones.com](mailto:jasper@impact-drones.com) & [alessandro@impact-drones.com](mailto:alessandro@impact-drones.com)", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/SKo-impact-drones-air-defense-as-a-service-for-civilian-infrastructure", "votes": 21, "created_at": "2026-08-04T18:02:22.616Z" } ] }, { "id": 32194, "name": "GUILD", "slug": "guild", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/efd3ccc04f842f9a3a1235ba1ef66aa4447fc993.png", "website": "https://www.guildai.co", "all_locations": "New York City, NY, USA", "long_description": "GUILD is an AI-Native Defense prime making aerospace parts faster and cheaper. We win defense contracts, automate manufacturing, and deliver to the government's door.", "one_liner": "Making Defense Manufacturing Faster and Cheaper", "team_size": 2, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1778869862, "tags": [ "Manufacturing", "Supply Chain", "Defense", "AI" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": true, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/guild", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/guild.json", "year_founded": 2025, "city": "New York City", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/guildai/", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/efd3ccc04f842f9a3a1235ba1ef66aa4447fc993.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/video_event/77/1789083552-66c43d504ac5635e52a1f9823fa8ef5a/f119a8c82a28d76d89468609e5d0285b.mp4?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAQC4NIECABPQ2AHNW%2F20261020%2Fus-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20261020T022739Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=670ee52c4dfde4e363ba0bb12bdec7abf466e2511a9bc2abc2f9f929d0dd4501", "company_photos": [ "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/attachments/e55fc87a71d9e406a0a8fdfdd14ba685fc117785.png" ], "primary_partner": { "name": "Diana Hu", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/diana-hu" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 3161464, "full_name": "Kaya Celebi", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder at GUILD. Previously AI Tech Lead at Hartree Partners and ML Engineer at Morgan Stanley.\nMSc in Computer Science from Columbia, dual BSc in CS and Statistics from Duke.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaya-celebi", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/5b48b1bdd435cb7bc03969c64b95f41c522af52d.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3163115, "full_name": "Erim Gurlemis", "title": "Founder/COO", "founder_bio": "Founder at GUILD. Previously Associate in the Global Investment Office at Morgan Stanley, where he worked on wealth management development and engagement . BA in Biological Studies from Rutgers University.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/erim-gurlemis-b13b22204/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/f0c16bff7dc6fd5301ab5b66684588bf18413c9f.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 109739, "title": "GUILD - New Generation of Defense Contractor", "tagline": "Making aerospace and naval parts faster and cheaper for defense", "body": "Hey everyone 🙂 - we’re [@Kaya Celebi](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/user/3161464) and [@Erim Gurlemis](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/user/3163115) , co-founders of [@GUILD](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/32194) .\n\n**TL;DR**\n\n[@GUILD](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/company/32194) **is an AI-native defense contractor making aerospace parts faster and cheaper than today’s supply chain**. We win government contracts, turn technical requirements into production-ready workflows, and execute through factory integrations that eliminate the weeks normally lost between RFQ and factory floor. \n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=109739&key=user_uploads/3161464/3cf82073-c0e0-4c42-8d2b-d4fab3e159ca)\n\nWe’re building GUILD in two connected motions:\n\n* First, we win and execute government manufacturing contracts directly.\n* Second, we help defense hardware companies turn designs, technical packages, and supply-chain requirements into executable procurement and production workflows.\n\nIn both cases, the goal is the same: move from technical requirements to manufactured parts faster, with less cost and less operational drag.\n\n**THE PROBLEM**\n\nGovernment contracting is fragmented, overcomplicated, and inaccessible. That makes defense manufacturing slower and more expensive than it should be.\n\nThe government waits too long and pays too much for parts the country already knows how to make. Meanwhile, the supplier base is shrinking: DoW’s reported in 2023 that small-business participation in the defense industrial base has fallen by over 40% in the last decade.\n\n**Less competition means fewer options, higher prices, weaker supply chains, and more critical work stuck before it ever reaches a production floor.** \n\n**THE CAUSE**\n\nThe defense supply chain is not wired together. Government demand, technical requirements, manufacturer capability, financial markets, and execution data all live in different places, so every contract becomes a manual search problem - stuck in PDFs, portals, spreadsheets, and domain knowledge.\n\nThe hard part is not finding government opportunities. Anyone can have Claude build a scrape-bot for [SAM.gov](http://SAM.gov) and call it a pipeline. **The hard part is turning messy technical requirements into a manufacturing decision, then executing the work.**\n\nThis favors large incumbents who can throw teams of people at the problem. Smaller manufacturers usually cannot. They either spend weeks decoding the package, price in too much risk, miss the timing, or never enter the market at all.\n\n**OUR APPROACH**\n\n**GUILD is the prime contractor**, not a marketplace or lead-gen layer for manufacturers. We win government work directly. We break the technical package into the operational steps required to produce and deliver the part. Then we execute.\n\n**The core of this is our company brain: a structural ontology of defense manufacturing.**\n\nAI-native, to us, means the company documents and learns from its own execution. Every artifact around a contract - requirements, quotes, supplier interactions, decisions, awards, workflows, and deliveries - becomes structured memory. Our agents traverse that graph to understand what a part is, how it can be made, what it should cost, and what needs to happen next.\n\nThe company brain compounds. Every bid makes the next bid smarter. Every factory handoff improves the next handoff. Every delivery teaches the system what actually happened, not just what the plan said. That is what lets us move from document parsing to execution as the contractor responsible for the work.\n\n**WHAT WE’VE BUILT**\n\nWe’ve built the company brain that turns technical packages into executable manufacturing workflows. It ingests messy contract packages, understands the requirements, prices work against known factory capability, generates the production path, and keeps improving as new parts, factories, and outcomes enter the system.\n\nThis is not a hard-coded set of workflows. The system helps us build and refine new workflows as it observes more of the defense manufacturing knowledge space. GUILD Forge is the interface for this: a procurement and production planning system for defense companies that need to move from technical design to supply-chain execution.\n\n**WHAT WE MAKE**\n\nOur current focus is aerospace precision metals. That includes jet and engine components, structural and wing-adjacent parts, housings, brackets, fittings, retainers, and the simple but critical hardware that sits inside larger aerospace systems.\n\nThese parts are not always glamorous, but they are everywhere. When their supply chain is slow, expensive, or opaque, the larger programs above them slow down too.\n\n**THE TEAM**\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=109739&key=user_uploads/3161464/9f3944e0-0a34-426b-a920-033542ce928f)\n\nKaya has an MS in Computer Science from Columbia and studied CS + Statistics at Duke. His background is in ML research, AI modernization, and quant work: he worked on AI modernization and quantitative systems at Morgan Stanley, and later led an AI team at hedge fund Hartree Partners. Coming into defense from the outside forced him to learn the industry from first principles and turn that learning into GUILD's technical architecture.\n\nErim studied Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, where he conducted research on metabolism before working in pharma consulting supporting oncology research. He then pivoted into finance at Morgan Stanley. There, he led full-scale AI implementation for Wealth Management & Advisory. At GUILD, he turns the messy reality of defense manufacturing, supplier coordination, pricing and execution into operating requirements our system can handle.\n\n**THE ASK**\n\nWe’d love intros to defense companies that need better access to procurement, people with government or program connections, and teams dealing with supply-chain pain around technical packages, suppliers, compliance, packaging, or delivery.\n\nWe’re especially interested in meeting defense hardware companies, aerospace manufacturers, primes, and manufacturers with end-to-end automation capability - the kind of partners where GUILD can integrate directly into the factory operating layer, not just send PDFs back and forth.\n\nEmail us at [founders@guildai.co](mailto:founder@guildai.co) or visit .\n\n\\-  Kaya + Erim 🧿", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/SXz-guild-new-generation-of-defense-contractor", "votes": 23, "created_at": "2026-08-08T17:00:00.905Z" } ] }, { "id": 32586, "name": "Greypoint Industries", "slug": "greypoint-industries", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/b0d5898f7b8fc2ee6fc19f6de3dae045123c7608.png", "website": "https://greypointindustries.com/", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "We build LEGION, a drone swarm that identifies, geolocates, and tracks every emitter on the battlefield using the enemy’s own radio signals. LEGION enables our warfighters to precisely track previously obscured targets like jammers, command posts, and drone operators so they can proactively respond to threats instead of reacting to them.", "one_liner": "Building drone swarms that hunt hidden enemies.", "team_size": 4, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1782765221, "tags": [ "Hardware", "Robotics", "Drones", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/greypoint-industries", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/greypoint-industries.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/greypoint-industries/?viewAsMember=true", "x_url": "https://x.com/Greypoint_", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/b0d5898f7b8fc2ee6fc19f6de3dae045123c7608.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Tyler Bosmeny", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/tyler-bosmeny" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 3676390, "full_name": "Darcy Zhang", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Co-Founder at Greypoint Industries.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/darcy-zhang-021134243/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/5337a388dc0b683be08ad652cef050e1fd9af004.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3676391, "full_name": "Nic Chu", "title": "Founder/COO", "founder_bio": "Co-Founder at Greypoint Industries.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicchu/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/2c6aa1d0091b93ae6f6641c720d544f1c7126a60.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3558298, "full_name": "Jordan Khoo", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Co-Founder at Greypoint Industries. Previously led project with autonomous loitering munition project with Lockheed Martin Skunkworks.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordankh00/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/2363824c9001ce22d79d36c04d0ab6555b86edfa.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3676397, "full_name": "Steven Xu", "title": "Founder/CPO", "founder_bio": "Co-Founder at Greypoint Industries. Previously at Bosch Quantum Sensing building satellite sensors. Led research project on detection of UAVs using passive radar. Presidential Scholar at UBC.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/sxu22/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/9cffa849cc769fd0df23fe0a5e3b4c24fb8e7736.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 108367, "title": "Greypoint Industries: Drone swarms that find drone operators", "tagline": "Greypoint Industries builds drone swarms that find enemy drone operators on the battlefield.", "body": "[Greypoint Industries (YC S26) Launch Video](https://youtu.be/y9jC4A7Fg04)\n\nGreypoint Industries builds drone swarms that find enemy drone operators on the battlefield.\n\nOver 70% of casualties in Ukraine come from drones. The entire defense space is focused on building interceptors to shoot them down. While they’re treating the symptom, we’re going after the root cause: the drone stations. They’re hidden in bunkers, behind terrain, and fly the drones that kill our warfighters and civilians. Today, soldiers have no way to reliably geolocate operators on the battlefield.\n\nGreypoint Industries built LEGION, a drone swarm that identifies, geolocates, and tracks every emitter on the battlefield using the enemy’s own radio signals. LEGION enables our warfighters to precisely track previously obscured targets like jammers, command posts, and drone operators so they can proactively respond to threats instead of reacting to them.\n\nGreypoint has just won a contract with the Canadian Government, demoed with the Armed Forces, and successfully geolocated a target using their aerial platform. The founding team brings experience from the Canadian Infantry, General Dynamics, Bosch Quantum Sensing, and TerraSense Analytics.\n\nDefend the West. Deploy Greypoint.\\\n\\\nFind out more at .", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/SBr-greypoint-industries-drone-swarms-that-find-drone-operators", "votes": 10, "created_at": "2026-07-30T23:00:42.765Z" } ] }, { "id": 32781, "name": "Isengard Industries Inc", "slug": "isengard-industries-inc", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/17f019cfd01fa25a85e88f6a43f39d133e5ecaff.png", "website": "http://isengardindustries.com/", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "Isengard Industries is not another drone company.\r\n\r\nWe build sovereign production: the means for allied nations to make precision-strike and counter-drone systems by the thousand, on their own soil, at a fraction of what the primes charge.\r\n\r\nWe call it Weapons of Mass Production. The Arsenal of Democracy, rebuilt for the drone age.\r\n\r\nMore to come, and only where it helps. You know how to reach us.", "one_liner": "Mass-produced AI strike systems and Counter-UAS", "team_size": 30, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1782404945, "tags": [ "Swarm Robotics", "Unmanned Vehicle", "AI" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada", "Remote", "Partly Remote" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/isengard-industries-inc", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/isengard-industries-inc.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/isengard-industries/", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/17f019cfd01fa25a85e88f6a43f39d133e5ecaff.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Gustaf Alstromer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/gustaf-alstromer" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 3554287, "full_name": "Francisco Serra-Martins", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder at Isengard Industries Inc. Previously co-founder/CEO at Terminal Autonomy, scaling to $60M revenue with customers including U.S. Army, NATO, and Ukrainian armed forces. Raised $15M+ from investors. Prior CEO at Sonder Design (listed on Forbes) and Combat engineer in Australian Defence Force. Studied Engineering at University of Sydney.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscoserramartins/", "x_url": "https://x.com/FranciscoSerraM", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/d2f29dd1ada67b914d72ae7d29c7908601e110f5.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3752974, "full_name": "James Tennant", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "I'm a co-founder of Isengard Industries. We build attack drones and counter-drone interceptors that allies manufacture locally at a fraction of prime cost. \n\nBefore Isengard I served as an Australian Army Officer. I have spent a decade in private equity and private credit. I ran Balmoral, a Defense Investment Bank, and have led diligence and structuring on defence-tech deals across Australia, Ukraine and the Gulf. \n\nI'm also completing a PhD on economic warfare and hybrid threats.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesjtennant/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/00c28e38e0f0496272a7eb753df9756a88fb9181.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 114670, "title": "Isengard Industries Inc", "tagline": "AI Weapons of Mass Production", "body": "Hi YC, I’m Francisco, co-founder of Isengard (S26). We build precision-strike and counter-drone systems that allied nations can manufacture on their own soil.\\\n\\\n\n\nWe have $10M in revenue and a $350M pipeline spanning the US Army, Ukraine, and allies globally.\n\nI previously co-founded Terminal Autonomy and scaled it to $60M in revenue in Ukraine. Just weeks ago, its Kyiv factory was hit by a Russian ballistic missiles. [The Guardian ](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/30/us-firm-drone-factory-terminal-autonomy-ukraine-russia)article.\n\n**With my family in Ukraine, for me, resilient defense manufacturing is personal.** Isengard designs for affordable, distributed production, giving allies the capacity to build and replenish their own arsenals.\n\nWe call it Weapons of Mass Production.\n\n**Our ask:** Introductions to allied defense procurement teams and manufacturing partners. Contact [hello@isengardindustries.com](mailto:hello@isengardindustries.com).\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=114670&key=user_uploads/3554287/21bb2b9f-c02c-43b6-a778-84a16a1d7414)\n\n", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/TpW-isengard-industries-inc", "votes": 13, "created_at": "2026-09-10T19:30:05.764Z" } ] }, { "id": 33277, "name": "Hop Aero", "slug": "hop-aero", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/a5cab9ede70e23b0ea3f8e3b64b7a19735939c17.png", "website": "https://hopaero.com", "all_locations": "Los Angeles, CA, USA", "long_description": "Hop Aero is building rocket cargo vehicles that deliver to contested environments hundreds of miles away in minutes. Our rockets fly point-to-point into the most austere locations at hypersonic speeds. Hop Aero's goal is to provide the U.S. and allies the asymmetric advantage that deters a future major conflict.", "one_liner": "Rocket cargo delivery to contested environments", "team_size": 6, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1781029529, "tags": [], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/hop-aero", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/hop-aero.json", "year_founded": 2024, "city": "Los Angeles", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/hop-aero/", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/a5cab9ede70e23b0ea3f8e3b64b7a19735939c17.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Tyler Bosmeny", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/tyler-bosmeny" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 480112, "full_name": "Matija Milenovic", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder at Hop Aero. Previously CEO at porkchop (electric propulsion for satellites), launched on SpaceX Transporter-3, built $400M+ sales pipeline, sold IP. System Engineer at Destinus leading 20+ person team on supersonic UAV. Scaled Ukrainian loitering munition production from 10 to 100+ units/month. MS Aerospace Engineering KTH Stockholm.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/matija-milenovic/", "x_url": "https://x.com/mat_milenovic", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/5de9c335ad613ed7722aedbdf0a67bed625083f9.jpg" }, { "user_id": 2233348, "full_name": "Jacob Balaj", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Founder at Hop Aero. Previously Integration & Test Engineer at SpinLaunch (satellites), Lead Systems Integration & Test at Masten Space Systems (lunar lander for NASA's CLPS program), and Integration & Test at Virgin Orbit (LauncherOne) and SpaceX (Falcon 9/Heavy—built booster refurbishment process, cut test time in half). Earlier avionics QA on MV-22 tiltrotors in the US Marine Corps.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-balaj-6b4b061b5/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/ef902d83986d7f7b76472502d93c8fe3621a2b2a.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 112220, "title": "Hop Aero 🚀 Rocket Cargo", "tagline": "Hop Aero delivers an autonomous 21st century D-Day", "body": "[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xqm08Bpwv1LXOsas-oVfZ5rDwp1lNqP8](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xqm08Bpwv1LXOsas-oVfZ5rDwp1lNqP8/view?usp=share_link)\n\\\n❌ **Problem**\n\nWhile Jacob was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Typhoon Haiyan had just swept through the Philippines. Jacob and his unit were given a clear order: deliver life-saving supplies of medicine and food as soon as possible. Despite working around the clock, the effort was regularly blocked due to aircraft breaking down, flight-critical parts being out of inventory, and pilot fatigue.\n\nSimilarly, when building his previous startup, Matija’s team were given 24 hours’ notice to deliver a satellite propulsion system to the mission integrator. FedEx and UPS could not guarantee on-time delivery, forcing Matija to make a 23-hour trip to hand-deliver the flight hardware. He spent the flight back thinking that there has to be a better way.\n\nIt turned out that it wasn’t just us. Everyone from startups to the U.S. military, needs faster delivery. We saw an opportunity to create the fastest form of transportation in the world.\n\n🚀 **Rockets are the answer**\n\nWe are building Rook, an autonomous rocket that delivers 250 kg of cargo up to 750 km away. That’s Okinawa to Taiwan in 15 minutes.\n\nRook launches from a standard 40-ft shipping container, flies through space, re-enters at hypersonic speeds and lands on unprepared surfaces, allowing it to launch and land anywhere on the planet. This opens up completely new commercial markets and military capabilities.\n\nRook can deliver swarms of autonomous unmanned systems to the battlefield, delivering a fully-autonomous 21st century D-Day effect for the U.S. and allies. The same Rook can deliver time-critical goods for manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, offshore oil and pharma, preventing downtime costs of up to $2M/hour.\n\n🏆 **Traction**\n\n* **Won a $1.25M DoW contract** from the US Air Force.\n* **Completed our first tethered test** at the Oklahoma spaceport on a small-scale prototype\n* **Successfully hot-fired our engine and igniter** built using hopOS, our AI-augmented secret sauce.\n* **Successfully demonstrated drone deployment** from our rocket cargo vehicle.\n\n🥷 **Team**\n\n**Matija (CEO):** Previously founded porkchop (electric propulsion for small satellites) - launched on SpaceX Transporter-3, built a $400M+ sales pipeline, sold the IP. Led a 20+ person supersonic UAV team at Destinus and scaled Ukrainian loitering-munition production from 10 to 100+ units/month.\n\n**Jacob (CTO):** US Marine Corps (MV-22 avionics) → SpaceX (Falcon 9/Heavy; built the OG booster refurb program) → Virgin Orbit (LauncherOne) → Masten (led systems integration & test on NASA's CLPS lunar lander) → SpinLaunch. A decade of making rockets fly on schedule.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=112220&key=user_uploads/480112/8946bdbe-09b5-447f-8022-6233e2401800)\n\n🙏 **Asks**\n\n* **Intros to DoW customers and end-users.** Anyone with warm paths into the Navy, PACOM, or program offices working contested logistics - we want to talk.\n* **Intros to commercial end-users.** Businesses with high downtime costs such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, offshore oil, pharma - all are right down our alley.\n* **Payload partners.** We want to deploy your drones, interceptors, electronic warfare jammers and more! Reach out if you want to give your product the ability to teleport to the battlefield!", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/TC0-hop-aero-rocket-cargo", "votes": 6, "created_at": "2026-08-26T15:00:00.587Z" }, { "id": 107889, "title": "Hop Aero 🚀 Rocket Cargo", "tagline": "Rockets that deliver cargo anywhere on Earth in minutes, including battlefields", "body": "**TLDR: We’re building rockets that deliver cargo faster than anything else on earth. We already have a $1.25M contract with the US Air Force for delivery to contest environments, and we’ve completed a tethered flight of our small-scale prototype.** 🚀🌎\\\n\\\n[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dI3bRpiuqdShHQ2xHMhqOhPluYQMGS2B](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dI3bRpiuqdShHQ2xHMhqOhPluYQMGS2B/view?usp=sharing)\n\n❌ **Problem**\n\nWhile Jacob was serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Typhoon Haiyan had just swept through the Philippines. Jacob and his unit were given a clear order: deliver life-saving supplies of medicine and food as soon as possible. Despite working around the clock, the effort was regularly blocked due to aircraft breaking down, flight-critical parts being out of inventory, and pilot fatigue.\n\nSimilarly, when building his previous startup, Matija’s team were given 24 hours’ notice to deliver a satellite propulsion system to the mission integrator. FedEx and UPS could not guarantee on-time delivery, forcing Matija to make a 23-hour trip to hand-deliver the flight hardware. He spent the flight back thinking that there has to be a better way.\n\nIt turned out that it wasn’t just us. Everyone from startups to the U.S. military, needs faster delivery. We saw an opportunity to create the fastest form of transportation in the world.\n\n🚀 **Rockets are the answer**\n\nWe are building Rook, an autonomous rocket that delivers 250 kg of cargo up to 750 km away. That’s Okinawa to Taiwan in 15 minutes.\n\nRook launches from a standard 40-ft shipping container, flies through space, re-enters at hypersonic speeds and lands on unprepared surfaces, allowing it to launch and land anywhere on the planet. This opens up completely new commercial markets and military capabilities.\n\nRook can deliver swarms of autonomous unmanned systems to the battlefield, delivering a fully-autonomous 21st century D-Day effect for the U.S. and allies. The same Rook can deliver time-critical goods for manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, offshore oil and pharma, preventing downtime costs of up to $2M/hour.\n\n🏆 **Traction**\n\n* **Won a $1.25M DoW contract** from the US Air Force.\n* **Completed our first tethered test** at the Oklahoma spaceport on a small-scale prototype\n* **Successfully hot-fired our engine and igniter** built using hopOS, our AI-augmented secret sauce.\n\n🥷 **Team**\n\n**Matija (CEO):** Previously founded porkchop (electric propulsion for small satellites) - launched on SpaceX Transporter-3, built a $400M+ sales pipeline, sold the IP. Led a 20+ person supersonic UAV team at Destinus and scaled Ukrainian loitering-munition production from 10 to 100+ units/month.\n\n**Jacob (CTO):** US Marine Corps (MV-22 avionics) → SpaceX (Falcon 9/Heavy; built the OG booster refurb program) → Virgin Orbit (LauncherOne) → Masten (led systems integration & test on NASA's CLPS lunar lander) → SpinLaunch. A decade of making rockets fly on schedule.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=107889&key=user_uploads/480112/7e957579-e672-47be-9433-9742f3c618bc)\n\n🙏 **Asks**\n\n* **Intros to DoW customers and end-users.** Anyone with warm paths into the Navy, PACOM, or program offices working contested logistics - we want to talk.\n* **Intros to commercial end-users.** Businesses with high downtime costs such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, offshore oil, pharma - all are right down our alley.\n* **Payload partners.** We want to deploy your drones, interceptors, electronic warfare jammers and more! Reach out if you want to give your product the ability to teleport to the battlefield!", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/S49-hop-aero-rocket-cargo", "votes": 11, "created_at": "2026-07-28T14:33:36.526Z" } ] }, { "id": 33281, "name": "Earendil Robotics", "slug": "earendil-robotics", "former_names": [ "Earendil Robotics Ltd" ], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/39ec6212427cdf833238bd48eca01f40904ba49f.png", "website": "https://earendil.io", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "Earendil Robotics builds cUAS solutions for the modern warfighter, enabling effective air defence at the small-unit level. We deliver spotting, engaging, and destroying capabilities through advanced sensors, autonomous interceptors, and integrated systems.\r\n\r\nOur product lineup covers every stage of the kill chain, complemented by the Drone Warfare Academy that trains soldiers to eliminate enemy drone threats in contested environments.\r\n\r\nBacked by worldwide frontline combat experience, we equip units with combat-proven tools to counter evolving aerial threats.", "one_liner": "Drone swarm defence at a small-unit level", "team_size": 7, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1783628748, "tags": [ "Drones", "Swarm Robotics", "AR" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada", "Remote", "Partly Remote" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/earendil-robotics", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/earendil-robotics.json", "year_founded": 2025, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/earendil-robotics/", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/earendil-robotics", "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/39ec6212427cdf833238bd48eca01f40904ba49f.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Vivian Midha Shen", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/vivian-midha%20shen" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 3723601, "full_name": "James Walton", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "James Walton is Co-founder of Earendil. Former British Army and a UAS specialist with experience in Ukraine, he brings direct operational experience in contested electromagnetic environments and detachment-level drone integration challenges.\n\nPrior to Earendil, he founded and scaled two IT and telecoms companies. His frontline UAS expertise and operational delivery track record position Earendil to close the gap in scalable, NATO-aligned drone warfare training and interception.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-walton-79b35339a/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/fd50381f327469f83306e46ac417ca633252b142.jpg" }, { "user_id": 3723983, "full_name": "Dan Komorny", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Dan Komorny is Co-founder of Earendil Robotics. He has a decade of experience in drones and security, including direct operational exposure in Ukraine. He has developed AR heads-up display applications and optical systems, and previously led hardware product development on drone payloads and turrets.\n\nThis combination of frontline insight, product development, and computer vision expertise positions Earendil to deliver advanced UAS and soldier systems.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-komorny/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/7fed5227c8ec38cbb843d2210ae2f8e47d2dc39f.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 111175, "title": "Earendil | Autonomous Air Defence", "tagline": "Autonomous, combat-proven interceptors for defending against drone swarms.", "body": "**TL;DR:** We build autonomous interceptors that kill drones for less than the cost of the threat. Aeglos is in active operational use and has scored operational intercepts. The team has hundreds of confirmed combat intercepts. Looking for introductions to NATO-aligned air defence and C-UAS leads.\n\n\n\n**The problem**:\n\nAir defence economics are broken. A Patriot interceptor costs $3-7 million and is routinely used against $50,000 drones. Production rates of a few hundred units a year make these systems too scarce and too expensive for the volume of low-cost threats now in the air. They should be reserved for high-value targets.\n\nExactly like the Sherman tank versus the Tiger: it does not matter how good the system is if there are more threats than ammunition.\n\n**What we do**:\n\nAeglos is a high-speed autonomous interceptor designed end-to-end for the mass drone problem: airframe, autonomy software, and operator model. The operator clicks launch, then selects the intercept in software. No stage of flight requires a pilot and no flying experience is needed. One operator can control up to 64 interceptors. Engagement cost stays below the price of the drone being destroyed.\n\nMost C-UAS offerings are a single interceptor airframe. Operators still need skilled pilots, long training pipelines, and constant attention during the engagement. We built the complete system so any operator can achieve consistent intercepts without those requirements. The result is a system that can be fielded at the small-unit and critical-infrastructure level without the specialist crews or multi-million-dollar missiles that current layered air defence relies on.\n\nAeglos is operationally deployed, radar-agnostic, manufactured in Europe, and NDAA-compliant with no Chinese components.\n\n**Why us:**\n\nThe entire team is ex-military with frontline Ukrainian experience, primarily in elite units and air defence. Collectively, we have hundreds of confirmed drone intercepts across multiple systems. We designed Aeglos from that experience - in the same contested Ukrainian airspace where most Western systems have not yet been stress-tested at scale.\n\n[\\@James Walton](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/user/3723601): British Army and UAS expert with frontline Ukrainian experience who has previously run companies.\n\n[\\@Dan Komorny](https://bookface.ycombinator.com/user/3723983): A decade of experience in Drones and Security directly in Ukraine. Serial entrepreneur with multiple startups under his belt.\n\nThe Team: Commandos, Airborne, Special Forces and Air Defense veterans.\n\n**Ask**\n\nIntroductions to air defence and C-UAS leads in NATO-aligned militaries, national acquisition teams, and operators responsible for protecting forward positions and critical infrastructure.\n\nWe are also open to partnerships with complementary companies.\n", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Sv9-earendil-autonomous-air-defence", "votes": 4, "created_at": "2026-08-19T15:45:00.136Z" } ] }, { "id": 33319, "name": "Vernius Systems, Inc.", "slug": "vernius-systems-inc", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/b6b4e6b2f945df4b3400a22fc1d287a788bc4215.png", "website": "https://www.vernius.systems", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "We make mass-deployable radars for unmanned systems. Our first product is Archimedes, a radar seeker that finds and locks onto targets, enabling autonomous intercept on any drone. We have over $580M in LOIs for Archimedes, across some of the largest defense primes in Ukraine, the EU, and the Middle East.\r\n\r\nSeekers are the most critical and costly component in every autonomous interceptor. Developing a radar seeker takes a 200+ person team at Raytheon and hundreds of millions of dollars. Archimedes is 100x cheaper than existing radar seekers on the market - and is the first product to make it feasible to deploy radars on every drone.", "one_liner": "Mass-deployable radars for air defense", "team_size": 3, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1786812946, "tags": [ "Hard Tech", "Drones", "Radar", "Aerospace", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": true, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Summer 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "United States of America", "America / Canada", "Remote", "Partly Remote" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/vernius-systems-inc", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/summer-2026/vernius-systems-inc.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "San Francisco", "country": "US", "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:ugcPost:7497551262893383680/", "x_url": "https://x.com/Arthur_NC_/status/2091903458748375240", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/b6b4e6b2f945df4b3400a22fc1d287a788bc4215.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Brad Flora", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/brad-flora" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 366617, "full_name": "Arthur Nguyen-cao", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder & CEO of Vernius Systems. 6+ years RF PCB engineering.\n\nLead 14 engineers at Defense Tech for Ukraine to develop FPV drone systems now fielded by Ukrainian units. Co-founded Auctify (raised $250K, featured in The Verge), where we built the world's first AI smart glasses. Developed the $2.6B USAF B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program proposal at Pratt & Whitney. Hobbies include computational fluid dynamics, rocketry, and civil aviation.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-nguyen-cao-690847146/", "x_url": "https://x.com/Arthur_NC_", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/4373c5af412b516a25bd9d3afc5678c56a348e2e.jpg" }, { "user_id": 372571, "full_name": "Hisham El-Halabi", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Founder at Vernius Systems. Previously founding engineer at Suave Money (HF0, Orange DAO-backed), building a non-custodial P2P fiat-to-crypto marketplace used by hundreds of thousands and adopted by YC startups Shor and Kontigo. Co-founder/CTO at Auctify, raising $77K in presales and pivoting to Sano AI calorie tracker (30K users, $2.5K MRR, $250K raised). BEng Engineering Science, University of Toronto.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/hisham-el-halabi-001/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/cd887780cb538a001e6e2bb72deb018117b59f82.jpg" }, { "user_id": 409168, "full_name": "Joe Gonzalez", "title": "Founder/COO", "founder_bio": "CoFounder at Vernius Systems. Serial founder: built Plucky Labs (backend-as-a-service for AI chat), XP Protocol (scaled to 200K+ users, 50K+ MAU), and Huddln (venture-backed Web3 startup). Previously Solutions Architect at Sandia National Labs under Q clearance, architecting secure comms for US Navy Tomahawk fleet. BS Computer Engineering, Sacramento State.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jge-2a7937115/", "x_url": "https://x.com/joegonzalez0886?s=11", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/677db7a1244f2604393fb1cc01f838806ea6304f.jpg" } ], "jobs": [ { "id": 111262, "title": "Radar PCB Engineer", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/vernius-systems-inc/jobs/g2rbXLu-radar-pcb-engineer", "location": "San Francisco, CA, US / San Jose, CA, US", "type": "Full-time", "role": "Engineering", "role_type": "Electrical", "salary_range": "$150K - $350K", "equity_range": "1.00% - 3.00%", "experience": "Any (new grads ok)", "visa": "US citizen/visa only", "skills": [ "PCB design", "Altium" ] } ], "news": [], "launches": [ { "id": 111298, "title": "Vernius Systems - Autonomous radar guidance for interceptor drones", "tagline": "Radar for interceptor drones", "body": "[**Vernius Systems**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/vernius-systems-inc/posts/?feedView=all)\n\n**TL:DR;** Vernius builds radar seekers that turn any drone into a fully autonomous interceptor. We build and test on the frontlines with operators, under real conditions. Because of this, we’ve secured **$500M** in LOIs for 2027 from top defense manufacturers and elite military units across the US, EU, and Ukraine.\\\n\\\n[https://drive.google.com/file/d/191oElqMvXaizOijw1ZN2aTY3ckYOGfVC](https://drive.google.com/file/d/191oElqMvXaizOijw1ZN2aTY3ckYOGfVC/view?usp=sharing)\n\n**Backed By:**\n\nOur early investors include the **former U.S. National Security Advisor** (LTG HR McMaster), the **Chief Engineer behind VBAT, Shield AI’s flagship product** (Austin Howard), and **world renowned Ukrainian Military analyst** (Rob Lee).\n\n**Problem:** \n\n99% of interceptors on the battlefield still require a pilot for manual guidance. Jet powered attack drones deployed by our adversaries have become too fast to intercept manually, and now account for over **50% of all attack drones**. Autonomous solutions, like the Patriot class missiles, cost $4M per shot.\n\n**Solution:**\n\nWe build a radar that turns any drone into a fully autonomous interceptor, reducing the cost per kill from **$4M to less than $4K**.\n\n**About us:** \n\nWe bring over a decade of RF PCB engineering experience. We've built critical software for the US Navy Tomahawk missile fleet, satellites in low Earth orbit, and FPV hardware fielded by frontline operators.\n\n![uploaded image](/media/?type=post&id=111298&key=user_uploads/409168/e627de41-d230-4320-80bb-90173e045879)\n\n**Left to right:** [Hisham El-Halabi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hisham-el-halabi-001/), [Joe Gonzalez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jge-2a7937115/), [Arthur Nguyen-cao](https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-nguyen-cao-690847146/)\n\n**Ask:**\n\nIf you’re developing interceptors (or you know someone developing them), we would love to chat.", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/launches/Sx8-vernius-systems-autonomous-radar-guidance-for-interceptor-drones", "votes": 10, "created_at": "2026-08-24T15:00:00.720Z" } ] }, { "id": 34696, "name": "ChemPilot.ai", "slug": "chempilotai", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/4c3f8543148c3a53ebe369d21ece622228018917.png", "website": "https://chempilot.ai/", "all_locations": "Haifa, Haifa District, Israel", "long_description": "We use AI and quantum-based simulations to discover and develop new materials for defense and dual-use applications, from energetics and propellants to carbon fibers, polymers, coatings and composites. Developing a new material today takes 10+ years of trial-and-error lab work. We compress that to months, using physics-based simulation, machine learning and AI agents that only send labs candidates that can actually be made.\r\n\r\nSam, Ofir and Maor have spent the past two years researching the discovery of these exact materials together at the Technion lab of our CSO, Prof. Alon Grinberg Dana (former MIT postdoc), working directly with defense primes and government R&D agencies. Together we bring deep expertise in chemical engineering, computational chemistry and AI, and the production systems to put them to work. ChemPilot spun out of that work.\r\n\r\nThe defense and dual-use industrial base runs on materials with fragile, sole-source and often adversarial supply chains, from energetics and propellants to carbon fibers, high-temperature composites and specialty polymers. Demand for new capabilities is surging, and materials take decades to develop. The West needs new materials it can make securely, fast and cheap - ChemPilot will help find and develop them.", "one_liner": "Discover novel defense related materials/molecules.", "team_size": 3, "industry": "Industrials", "subindustry": "Industrials -> Defense", "launched_at": 1791753586, "tags": [ "Machine Learning", "Advanced Materials", "Defense" ], "tags_highlighted": [], "top_company": false, "isHiring": false, "nonprofit": false, "batch": "Fall 2026", "status": "Active", "industries": [ "Industrials", "Defense" ], "regions": [ "Israel", "Middle East and North Africa" ], "stage": "Early", "app_video_public": false, "demo_day_video_public": false, "app_answers": null, "question_answers": null, "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/chempilotai", "api": "https://devasheeshg.github.io/yc-api/batches/fall-2026/chempilotai.json", "year_founded": 2026, "city": "Haifa", "country": "IL", "linkedin_url": "", "x_url": "", "fb_url": null, "cb_url": null, "github_url": null, "logo_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/4c3f8543148c3a53ebe369d21ece622228018917.png", "app_video_url": null, "dday_video_url": null, "company_photos": [], "primary_partner": { "name": "Aaron Epstein", "url": "https://www.ycombinator.com/people/aaron-epstein" }, "founders": [ { "user_id": 4000868, "full_name": "Sam Cogan", "title": "Founder/CEO", "founder_bio": "Founder at ChemPilot.ai. MSc in Biochemical Engineering from Technion. Love competing, both in business and in any sport.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-cogan-16435916b/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/52cee213d8d6c3ed123701998ac0813c86155160.jpg" }, { "user_id": 4006886, "full_name": "Maor Goldman", "title": "Founder", "founder_bio": "Founder at ChemPilot.ai | Ethical Hacker | BS Computer Engineering from Technion | Served in 8200 ", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/maor-goldman-03b43a119/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/cfb6b71947255e63c3da4ad31df3bcdb630bad8a.jpg" }, { "user_id": 4003220, "full_name": "Ofir Simhi", "title": "Founder/CTO", "founder_bio": "Founder and CTO at ChemPilot.ai. Previously a full-stack developer, one of the first developers in an acquired startup (Skiff, acquired by Notion), and a main developer in another acquired startup (StoreMaven, acquired by Zynga). \nBSc. in Biochemical Engineering.", "is_active": true, "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/ofir-simhi-b8098a196/", "x_url": "", "avatar_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/avatars/a3d87d13345612a8a48e34155eb8d933ed91977a.jpg" } ], "jobs": [], "news": [], "launches": [] }, { "id": 35487, "name": "Streamline Systems", "slug": "streamline-systems", "former_names": [], "small_logo_thumb_url": "https://bookface-images.s3.amazonaws.com/small_logos/989b85da2420d6592fdbd561cfe2e0802ebf6933.png", "website": "https://streamlinesystems.ltd/", "all_locations": "San Francisco, CA, USA", "long_description": "Streamline Systems is building the replacement for GPS. \r\n\r\nSatellite positioning has become the single point of failure for almost every modern system, both military and civil. We've built the replacement. A drop-in module that integrates with existing Ardupilot, INAV and PX4 flight controllers, with demonstrated satellite-independent autonomous flight and GPS handoff. We're currently working with commercial and military end users to deploy the capability.", "one_liner": "Precision navigation for UAVs operating without GPS. 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