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Dealmaker: Anduril Fundraising Shows Defense Tech Is Still Red-Hot

Dealmaker
In case you missed it on Friday, we broke the news that Anduril is in talks to double its valuation to around $60 billion in a new funding round. The round is notable for more than just its price. While Anduril technically has both A and I in its name, it's not the AI-centric type of startup that typically gets all the investor attention in this current cycle. But it shows momentum for defense tech is still going strong. 
Feb 17, 2026

Dealmaker

Katie Roof headshot

Hi, it's Katie.

In case you missed it on Friday, we broke the news that Anduril is in talks to double its valuation to around $60 billion in a new funding round.

The round is notable for more than just its price. While Anduril technically has both A and I in its name, it's not the AI-centric type of startup that typically gets all the investor attention in this current cycle. But it shows momentum for defense tech is still going strong. 

Shield AI—a drone business that also can tap AI interest thanks to its autonomous software— is in talks to raise at a $12 billion valuation, Bloomberg reported. And several other younger startups will likely raise money in the next few months, we hear. 

Paul Kwan, managing director at General Catalyst, said that part of the reason the firm is so optimistic about defense tech is because "there are very few trillion dollar markets that are critical for global resilience, that are dominated by legacy vendors and which are experiencing both tech and geo-political transformation." 

General Catalyst has invested in Anduril as well as other defense-related businesses such as  autonomous military manufacturer Saronic and Helsing, a European rival to Anduril. 

As the world (unfortunately) braces for more wars, increased government spending has led to high-priced contracts for defense tech. Kwan said that the U.S. defense department is realizing that "defense tech is critical for deterrence." 

Kwan said he has also seen a shift amongst entrepreneurs, believing that many of the most "talented founders are choosing to build for the defense industrial base."

They don't even have to live in San Francisco to do so. Many of the biggest startups in the category are in Southern California, with an enthusiastic cluster around El Segundo, colloquially known as "The Gundo."

Such entrepreneurs are finding an increasingly receptive pool of investors. Andreessen Horowitz, a backer of Anduril, recently raised $2.5 billion for its "American Dynamism" fund. Lux Capital, also an Anduril backer, just raised $1.5 billion in new funds. 

Although there has been ample investment, the industry is just getting to the scale where we are beginning to see more exits. Groq's recent sale to Nvidia also had a defense aspect; the AI chip upstart has said its systems can help detect emerging threats. Anduril may not be in a rush to IPO, but SpaceX's IPO will highlight Starlink's efforts to aid militaries in wartime. 

If SpaceX's IPO goes well, we can expect to see defense tech investors use it to tout these sky high valuations.


Check out our latest episode of TITV in which our Cory Weinberg speaks about our scoop on Anduril's funding round

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