Startup profile · funding coverage
Shield AI funding, valuation and investors
Autonomy software for military aircraft and drones without GPS or comms.
Keep track of Shield AI
Save this profile to your VCT watchlist for a quick return.
Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Series G
$1.5B · March 2026
Latest known valuation
$12.7B
Series G · March 2026
Total disclosed equity funding
$1.9B
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
private
growth · San Diego, California
Investors in latest funding
Lead: Advent International , JPMorganChase Strategic Investment Group
Other: Snowpoint Ventures , InnovationX , Riot Ventures , Disruptive , Apandion
Overview
Shield AI builds Hivemind, an AI pilot autonomy stack enabling aircraft and drones to operate without GPS, communications, or remote pilots in denied environments. Founded in 2015, the San Diego company serves US and allied defense customers with V-BAT vertical takeoff drones and autonomy software integrated on manned and unmanned platforms. In March 2026, Shield AI announced $1.5B of Series G equity at a $12.7B post-money valuation, alongside $500M of fixed-return preferred equity, with part of the proceeds supporting the planned acquisition of Aechelon Technology.
Why Shield AI is interesting
Shield AI's $1.5B Series G at a $12.7B post-money valuation makes Hivemind one of the clearest examples of defense autonomy moving from drone software into a scaled platform and acquisition strategy.
Product & use cases
Hivemind is Shield AI's autonomy AI pilot — enabling navigation, obstacle avoidance, and mission execution on V-BAT drones and partner aircraft without GPS or human remote control in GPS-denied battlespaces.
- ISR and reconnaissance in GPS-denied environments
- Autonomous V-BAT drone operations for military customers
- Autonomy software integration on manned aircraft
- Swarm and collaborative autonomous missions
Key facts
- Series G (Mar 2026): $1.5B at $12.7B; Advent and JPMorganChase co-led — Shield AI press
- $500M of fixed-return preferred equity from Blackstone-managed funds was announced alongside Series G
- Series F-1 (Mar 2025): $240M at $5.3B; a16z among existing investors — Shield AI press
- Series E (Jun 2022): $165M led by Snowpoint — Shield AI press
- Hivemind autonomy on V-BAT drones and partner aircraft
- Founded 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, Andrew Reiter
Funding history (newest first)
Series G
2026-03 $1.5B Valuation: $12.7B- Advent International (lead)
- JPMorganChase Strategic Investment Group (lead)
- Snowpoint Ventures (participant)
- InnovationX (participant)
- Riot Ventures (participant)
- Disruptive (participant)
- Apandion (participant)
Series F
2025-03 $240M Valuation: $5.3B- Andreessen Horowitz (participant)
- Snowpoint Ventures (participant)
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from Shield AI's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: Combat-proven autonomy stack with no-GPS operation — harder problem than commercial drone autonomy, with defense contract moats.
Defense autonomy is consolidating around software-first startups with prime contractor partnerships. Shield AI's Hivemind differentiates on edge autonomy without comms, while the 2026 financing and Aechelon plan show ambition beyond a single drone SKU.
-
Anduril direct
Defense tech with Lattice OS and autonomous systems; overlapping DoD customer base.
-
Skydio adjacent
US drone autonomy leader; stronger in enterprise/public safety vs deep military GPS-denied stack.
-
General Atomics incumbent
Legacy military drone OEM; integrating more autonomy over time.
-
AeroVironment incumbent
Small UAS incumbent for DoD programs.
Notable stories
- Brandon Tseng, a former Navy SEAL, founded Shield AI after seeing autonomy gaps in military operations — mission-driven origin story cited in company materials.
- The March 2026 round followed Hivemind's selection for the U.S. Air Force Collaborative Combat Aircraft prototype program and included a planned Aechelon acquisition.
Industries
Related funding articles
Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Shield AI's financing or category context.
FAQs about Shield AI
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
Last updated:
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.