Startup profile · funding coverage
Mara funding, valuation and investors
Attritable kinetic counter-UAS (Spike) built for cheap FPV swarm economics.
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Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Pre-seed
$7M · August 2026
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
$7M
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
private
pre seed · United States
Overview
Mara Inc. builds Spike, a modular autonomous counter-UAS system pairing Spotter (multi-sensor AI targeting) with tube-launched Seeker kinetic interceptors. Founded October 2024 by Daniel Kofman and Sriram Raghu, the company announced a $7 million pre-seed led by Khosla Ventures around August 26, 2026, with a16z Speedrun and other early funds participating. Plans include ground deployments by end of 2026 and vehicle/portable variants in 2027.
Why Mara is interesting
August 2026 $7M pre-seed led by Khosla with a16z Speedrun — Spotter + 250g Seeker interceptors aimed at FPV cost curves, with Army/Ukraine field signals before Series A.
Product & use cases
Distributed counter-UAS stack for RF-contested / GPS-denied FPV threats with human-in-the-loop rules of engagement.
- Base and infrastructure FPV defense
- Vehicle-mounted and man-portable C-UAS (2027 roadmap)
- Civilian critical-site pilots (e.g. ports)
Key facts
- Pre-seed (Aug 2026): $7M led by Khosla Ventures; a16z Speedrun participates
- Product: Spike — Spotter targeting + ~250g Seeker interceptor (~200 km/h, company)
- Field signals: U.S. Army exercises; Ukrainian tracking near front; SK port pilot (company)
- NATO DIANA selected; ground deployments targeted end-2026
Funding history (newest first)
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from Mara's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: System-cost thesis matched to FPV economics rather than missile-class interceptors.
Mara competes on attritable unit economics and early field-user evidence at pre-seed, not manufacturing mega-scale yet.
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Aurelius Systems adjacent
Directed-energy C-UAS at Series A scale.
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Cambridge Aerospace / Neros Bandit adjacent
Later-stage kinetic intercept lanes with different threat classes and check sizes.
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Legacy missile/gun/EW C-UAS incumbent
Proven but often wrong cost curve for FPV swarms.
Notable stories
- Company: Ukrainian forces operated Spotter ~40 km from the front and tracked multiple FPVs (trade press, Aug 2026).
Industries
Market / IPO context
Editorial / static context — not a live quote.
Related funding articles
Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Mara's financing or category context.
FAQs about Mara
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
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