# Hermeus

> Develops reusable uncrewed high-speed aircraft and the manufacturing base to produce them.

## Why it is interesting

Hermeus demonstrated supersonic flight with its Quarterhorse Mk2.1 in 2026 and raised $350 million at a $1 billion valuation. The aerospace engineering and funding claims have measurable flight and program milestones.

## Profile

- **Latest funding:** Not publicly disclosed
- **Latest known valuation:** $1B (April 7, 2026)
- **Total disclosed equity funding:** Not publicly disclosed
- **Stage:** growth
- **Status:** private
- **Industries:** defense-tech, space-tech, hardware-semiconductors
- **Coverage:** full
- **Last updated:** 2026-10-29

## Key facts

- April 7, 2026: $350M financing comprises $200M equity plus $150M debt. Khosla Ventures led the equity portion; post-money valuation $1B.
- May 26, 2026: Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 achieved Mach 1.21, supersonic but not hypersonic.
- June 1, 2026: Zach Shore succeeded founding CEO AJ Piplica, who became executive chairman.
- May 28, 2026: DIU contract ceiling expanded to $219M; this is procurement potential, not venture capital.
- September 2026: Pratt & Whitney licensed Hermeus to manufacture F100-PW-229 engines.
- September 2026: Ramjet-X high-Mach test vehicle unveiled as a development program, not proven operational delivery.

## Funding history

- Series C (equity and debt package) · $350M total ($200M equity + $150M debt) · April 7, 2026
  Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hermeus-reaches-1-billion-valuation-with-350-million-raise-to-build-todays-fastest-aircraft-for-the-american-warfighter-302735273.html

## Investors in our directory

- https://venturecapitaltracker.com/fund/khosla-ventures
- https://venturecapitaltracker.com/fund/rtx-ventures
- https://venturecapitaltracker.com/fund/canaan-partners
- https://venturecapitaltracker.com/fund/founders-fund

**By:** [Venture Capital Tracker](https://venturecapitaltracker.com/editorial-policy)
**Last updated:** October 29, 2026

**Editorial note:** AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.

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Source: https://venturecapitaltracker.com/startup/hermeus