Top DefenseTech Companies
Ranked by valuation — 78 companies tracked
IPO Watchlist
Expected to IPO in next 12-24 months
Scale AI
S-1 Filed — Imminent
Scale AI provides AI training data infrastructure — human annotation, synthetic data generation, and evaluation platforms that help AI companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and the U.S. Department of Defense build better models. Revenue comes from enterprise AI lab contracts and government/defense work.
$32.4B
IPO Readiness
85
Shield AI
S-1 Filed — Imminent
Defense AI company building Hivemind — the world's first self-driving AI pilot for military aircraft. V-BAT drone deployed by US Marine Corps and special operations globally. $2B Series E (March 2026) at $12.7B valuation. USAF CCA contract revenue flowing. Targeting FY2028 IPO.
$12.7B
IPO Readiness
83
Databricks
S-1 Filed — Imminent
Databricks is the world's leading Data Intelligence Platform. Closed $5B Series L in February 2026 at a $134B valuation, making it the highest-valued private software company. IPO expected 2026-2027. No S-1 filed as of May 2026.
$134B
IPO Readiness
82
CrowdStrike
S-1 Filed — Imminent
Cloud-native endpoint security and threat intelligence platform.
$148.2B
IPO Readiness
80
Netskope
S-1 Filed — Imminent
Cloud security platform providing Zero Trust Network Access and data protection for modern enterprises.
$7.5B
IPO Readiness
79
Anduril Industries
18-24 months
Anduril Industries builds autonomous defense systems for the US military — Lattice command & control platform, autonomous drones, missiles, and undersea systems. Palmer Luckey-founded defense-tech unicorn targeting FY2028 IPO. $14B valuation. Competing for >$100B in DoD programs.
$14B
IPO Readiness
77
Saronic
18-24 months
Autonomous surface vessel (ASV) maker for the US Navy and allied maritime defense. AI-powered USVs perform ISR, mine countermeasures, and escort missions without human operators. $1.75B Series D (March 2026) at $9.25B valuation. $392M Navy contract. IPO candidate.
$15.0B
IPO Readiness
74
Vanta
18-24 months
Vanta is the AI-powered compliance and security trust management platform enabling companies to automate SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR compliance workflows. Valued at $4.5B with $350M raised, Vanta serves 10,000+ companies and competes with Drata, Secureframe, and AuditBoard in the $50B+ compliance and risk management market. Major defensetech IPO candidate as AI-driven compliance automation becomes critical for every B2B software company.
$4.5B
IPO Readiness
71
Sector Pipeline
Company count by funding stage
Series A
3
Series B
4
Series C
6
Series D
9
Series E
7
Series F
5
Pre-IPO
4
Public
10
Series D+
6
Acquired
4
Series G
2
Private
1
series_c
1
series_b
1
series_e
1
Series I
1
acquired
1
Late Stage / Series E
1
series_d
1
Series J
1
series_h
1
Recent Funding Rounds
Latest deals in the DefenseTech sector
Hadrian
Series E · Jul 2026
$500M
Gecko Robotics
Series D · Jul 2026
$150M
Dazz
Series C · Jul 2026
$100M
Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Series D · Jul 2026
$1.2B
Joby Aviation
Post-IPO Strategic Investment · Jul 2026
$500M
Turion Space
Series C · Jul 2026
$45M
Mach Industries
Series E · Jul 2026
$315M
Red 6
Series E · Jul 2026
$150M
Code Metal
Series D · Jul 2026
$150M
Danti
Series D · Jul 2026
$120M
Sector Themes
Key narratives driving the DefenseTech sector in 2026
1
Autonomous weapons systems replacing manned platforms
2
AI-powered decision making in contested environments
3
Drone swarm warfare enabling asymmetric deterrence
4
Space-based ISR feeding battlefield AI data pipelines
5
Cybersecurity as warfighting domain — zero-day economics
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