Disrupting Defense: Tech Investors’ New Focus on National Security

Co-authored by BENS member Kelleigh Bilms, Senior Director, Avascent

SHARPE Focus: The Emergence of Defense Unicorns

The world is changing rapidly, and all branches of the U.S. military are making fundamental shifts in how they address a dynamic threat environment. The 2023 Department of Defense Presidential Budget Request indicates a sustained focus on modernization, particularly on breakthrough technologies sourced from a more diverse and agile industrial base. Within the last twelve months, four defense technology start-ups raised capital at $1 billion-plus valuations. This group of companies is part of a broader cohort of defense unicorns that we refer to as the “SHARPE” cohort: Shield AI, HawkEye 360, Anduril, Rebellion Defense, Palantir (now public), and Epirus.

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