Best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech Companies in Austin, United States
The 58 best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in Austin, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Saronic.
Our analysis of 50 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies
$31.9b in tracked funding; 90% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2021.
Ranked: Best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in Austin
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saronic 🦄 Developer of autonomous surface vessels for naval and maritime forces 78Funding top 18%AI top 20%Moat top 26%Growth top 30% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 18% AItop 20% Moattop 26% Growthtop 30% Talenttop 33% Newstop 34% Techtop 47% Marketbottom 48% Globalbottom 44% Funding: Raised $230M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 3 yrs (1.3/yr) AI: Classified as an AI company rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 78/100 | $230M | 3 mo ago | 32 | Doug Lambert Co-Founder & COO | Apple iCloud MailNode.jsSalesforce+15 | — | 2 launchs |
| 2 | CesiumAstro Developer of communication systems for space, air, and ground missions 60Funding top 26%News top 29%Partners top 32%Growth top 35% All 11 signals ▾Fundingtop 26% Newstop 29% Partnerstop 32% Growthtop 35% Innovationtop 37% Moattop 37% Patentstop 40% Marketbottom 49% Talentbottom 49% Techbottom 44% Globalbottom 44% Funding: Raised $154M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 9 yrs (0.9/yr) News: 13 BI events in 12 mo (of 21 tracked, 3 types) · 11 high-value events (IPO/M&A/funding/contracts) in 12 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 60/100 | $154M | 5 mo ago | 141 | Shey Sabripour Founder & CEO | WebflowApple iCloud MailTypekit+16 | 12 patents Patents concentrated in electrical & electronics | 1 internship · 4 awards |
| 3 | Infravision Provider of automated aerial robotic systems for power infrastructure construction 48Funding top 25%Talent top 28%Global top 42%Product top 46% All 6 signals ▾Fundingtop 25% Talenttop 28% Globaltop 42% Producttop 46% Techbottom 44% Marketbottom 37% Funding: Raised $114M across 2 rounds · 2 rounds over 3 yrs (0.7/yr) Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $114M | 8 mo ago | — | Christopher Cox Co-Founder & Director | WebflowVimeoGSAP+13 | — | — |
| 4 | Onebrief 🦄 Cloud-based mind mapping solutions for enterprises and the military 45Funding top 31%Moat top 31%Partners top 32%Talent top 33% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 31% Moattop 31% Partnerstop 32% Talenttop 33% Techtop 41% Growthtop 50% Newsbottom 39% Marketbottom 36% Globalbottom 32% Funding: Raised $53.0M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 6 yrs (1.0/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 7/10 · Unicorn rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 45/100 | $53M | 5 mo ago | 4 | Grant Demaree Co-Founder & CEO | WebflowApple iCloud MailSalesforce+25 | — | 1 launch · 1 award |
| 5 | Terradepth Provider of autonomous subsea intelligence platform delivering actionable ocean data | $28M | 50 mo ago | 20 20 → 50 (+150%) | Joe Wolfel Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+26 | 14 patents Autonomous marine survey vehicles with fuel‑cell power and sky‑based geolocation systems | 1 job opening · 1 partnership |
| 6 | Stone Aerospace Smart tools and systems for exploring Earth's and space's frontiers | $18M | 27 mo ago | — | William Stone Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+14 | 36 patents Space‑based optical power beaming and high‑voltage water heating systems for spacecraft. | — |
| 7 | Skyfi Provider of satellite imagery, data, and analytics for various industry applications | $17M | 11 mo ago | 50 | Bill Perkins Co-Founder & Owner | ContentfulSentryZendesk+26 | — | 3 launchs |
| 8 | HUVRdata Industrial aerial inspection | $14M | 48 mo ago | 46 | Ben Williams CEO and Co-Founder | WordPress Block EditorwpBakeryWordPress+36 | — | — |
| 9 | Allen Control Systems Provider of counter-drone robotic gun systems for military 48Talent top 28%Growth top 35%Funding top 36%Moat top 39% All 7 signals ▾Talenttop 28% Growthtop 35% Fundingtop 36% Moattop 39% Techbottom 44% Marketbottom 36% Globalbottom 32% Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $12M | 15 mo ago | — | Luke Allen Co-Founder & CTO | WebflowTypekitCloudflare Turnstile+10 | — | — |
| 10 | Brightpick Provider of warehouse automation solutions using artificial intelligence powered robots | $12M | 19 mo ago | 72 | Michal Maly Co-Founder & Head of AI | WordPress Block EditorWordPressMySQL+33 | — | 1 partnership |
| 11 | Wilder Systems Robots Robotic systems for defense manufacturing | $11M | 35 mo ago | 20 20 → 30 (+50%) | Will Wilder Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 12 | Hangar Technology Develops drone flight and data management software | $6M | 116 mo ago | 30 | — | Node.jsTailwind CSSReact+9 | — | — |
| 13 | OpsLab Developer of drone-based flight planning solutions | $6M | 15 mo ago | — | Arun Nair Co-Founder & CEO | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+22 | — | 1 launch |
| 14 | Athena Security Provider of AI-driven security management solution for buildings | $6M | 85 mo ago | 51 | Christopher Ciabarra Co-Founder and Chief AI Architect | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+43 | — | — |
| 15 | InView Technology Corp Developer of shortwave infrared cameras | $5M | 141 mo ago | 4 | Lenore McMackin Founder & CTO | — | 34 patents Advanced compressive-sensing hyperspectral and multiscale imaging hardware and algorithms | — |
| 16 | Modern Intelligence Developer of AI-based countermeasure solutions for the military | $5M | 51 mo ago | 28 | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | DroneSense Provider of flight planning applications for drones | $5M | 98 mo ago | 45 | Christopher Eyhorn Co-Founder & CEO | HubSpot CMS Hubcore-jsLightbox+18 | 7 patents Real-time drone flight control and data link management systems | — |
| 18 | Optelos Platform offering AI powered image data analytics solutions | $3M | 45 mo ago | 23 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+27 | — | 1 launch |
| 19 | AdBm Technologies Provides noise abatement technology for marine environments. | $2M | 85 mo ago | — | — | — | 22 patents Underwater acoustic noise mitigation and frequency-selective signal processing for marine environments | — |
| 20 | Intelligence Surveillance Corp Developer of the sensor-based object detection and ranging systems | $575K | 60 mo ago | 8 | David Buschhorn Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 21 | Skycom Platform offering wireless network infrastructure | $548K | 38 mo ago | 4 | Max Michaelis Founder & CTO | — | 29 patents Improving helium/airship envelope sealing and platform design for lighter-than-air vehicles | — |
| 22 | Plot Integrated solutions for passenger management in airports | $150K | 96 mo ago | — | Benjamin Cantey Co-Founder & CEO | — | — | — |
| 23 | Reebeez Designs and builds microengines for drones | $125K | 120 mo ago | — | Ankita Ghoshal Founder & CEO | — | 7 patents Lightweight thermionic micro‑engines and hybrid propulsion systems for UAVs | — |
| 24 | Skyways Autonomous drone solutions for long-range logistics in harsh environments | $120K | 12 mo ago | 17 | Charles Acknin Co-Founder | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+13 | — | — |
Top 12 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in Austin
#1
Saronic 🦄Series D · Austin, Texas · founded 2022 · 32 employees$230.5Mraised▾
Developer of autonomous surface vessels for naval and maritime forces. These vessels enhance awareness, extend reach, and improve survivability in diverse operational environments. The autonomous surface vessels navigate using adaptive path planning and identify targets with advanced algorithms. They leverage resilient communications to enable manned and unmanned teaming. The vessels deliver user-defined effects with payload integrations and adapt to mission-specific requirements.
- Mar 2026Series D$1.8B
- Feb 2025Series C$600M
- Jun 2024Series B$175.5M
- Oct 2023Series A$55M
#2
Series C · Austin, Texas · founded 2017 · 141 employees$154.2Mraised▾
Developer of communication systems for space, air, and ground missions. The company provides full-stack, multi-mission hardware and software products. Offerings include integrated LEO satellites and active phased array payloads. Products support beam steering, dynamic frequencies, and on-orbit reconfigurability. The company’s systems facilitate inter-satellite links, mission-data downlink, and multi-beam connectivity.
- Feb 2026Series C$270M
- Jan 2026Conventional Debt$200M
- Jan 2024Series B$65M
- Jan 2023Series B$2.1M
#3
Onebrief 🦄Series D · Austin, Texas · founded 2018 · 4 employees$53Mraised▾
Cloud-based mind mapping solutions for enterprises and the military. It provides features such as a task dashboard, automated planning, mission analysis, process automation, presentation building tools, file searching engine, etc.
- Jan 2026Series D—
- Apr 2025Series C$23.6M
- Dec 2024Series C$58.7M
- Apr 2024Series B$16M
#4
Series B · Austin, Texas · founded 2018$114Mraised▾
Provider of automated aerial robotic systems for power infrastructure construction. The company delivers systems to build and repair transmission lines. It offers unmanned aerial methods to reduce human risk and environmental disruption. The company provides equipment and streamlined crews to deliver projects.
- Nov 2025Series B$91M
- Sep 2023Series A$23M
#5
Series A · Austin, Texas · founded 2021 · 50 employees$17Mraised▾
Provider of satellite imagery, data, and analytics for various industry applications. It offers tools for object detection, signature analysis, and measurement. It facilitates tasking satellites for image capture and provides access to archived data. Open data programs broaden analytics use for agriculture, planning, and disaster management. The system combines signals into a single stream for use in browsers or mobile devices.
- Jul 2025Series A$14.2M
- May 2023Seed$7M
- Feb 2022Seed$7.2M
#6
Series A · Austin, Texas · founded 2024$12Mraised▾
Provider of counter-drone robotic gun systems for military. It specialize in counter-drone robotic gun systems for military use.It automatically detects enemy UAS and kinetically defeats them.
- Mar 2025Series A$30M
- Apr 2024Seed$12M
#7
Series A · Austin, Texas · founded 2018$6.3Mraised▾
Developer of drone-based flight planning solutions. It offers AI-powered software to solve operational planning, tracking, and recovery problems at scale. Its features include scheduling, routing and dispatch, and automation of UAVs.
- Apr 2025Series A$4M
- Oct 2023Seed$6.3M
#8
Series B · Austin, Texas · founded 2013 · 72 employees$12Mraised▾
Provider of warehouse automation solutions using artificial intelligence powered robots. The company offers robots-as-a-service and standard capital expenditure purchase options. The robots automate order fulfillment, goods-to-person picking, assisted picking, order buffering, sortation, and stock replenishment.
- Nov 2024Conventional Debt—
- Nov 2024Series B$12M
#9
Funding Raised · Austin, Texas · founded 1999$18.4Mraised▾
Smart tools and systems for exploring Earth's and space's frontiers. The company develops advanced technologies for autonomous systems and mobile robotics. They specialize in creating solutions for challenging environments, including fiber-tethered and Wi-Fi controlled vehicles, re-entry vehicles, and novel spacecraft architectures. Their expertise extends to propulsion, structures, dynamics, manned systems, and closed-cycle life support. They offer capabilities in 3D mapping using laser radar and high-resolution sonar, guidance and navigation systems, and auto-docking systems. The company also focuses on embedded devices, high-density power systems, head-up displays, and smart devices. Their work supports scientific exploration and commercialization in both terrestrial and extraterrestrial domains. They are a technology company offering multiple products and services.
- Mar 2024Grant (prize money)$1.8M
- Aug 2020Grant (prize money)$3.6M
- Oct 2013Grant (prize money)$4M
- Jul 2012Grant (prize money)$4M
#10
Early Stage · Austin, Texas · founded 1996 · 17 employees$120Kraised▾
Autonomous drone solutions for long-range logistics in harsh environments. The company provides cutting-edge autonomous aircraft for the oil & gas and military & defense industries. They specialize in developing and deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of heavy payload delivery in challenging conditions. Their solutions offer a fast, flexible, and cost-effective alternative to traditional logistics, reducing transport times and improving efficiency. They focus on embodied AI, building autonomy and flying robots to provide ultimate logistics solutions. The company is committed to innovation, pushing the limits of technology to ensure optimal safety and performance. They offer solutions for critical component transport, emergency response, and remote location support.
- Jul 2025Conventional Debt$5M
- Aug 2017Unattributed$120K
#11
Series B · Austin, Texas · founded 2015 · 20 employees$11.1Mraised▾
Robotic systems for defense manufacturing. It offers robotic manufacturing systems for defense and aviation manufacturing applications.
- Aug 2023Series B$11.1M
#12
Series B · Austin, Texas · founded 2018 · 20 employees$28Mraised▾
Provider of autonomous subsea intelligence platform delivering actionable ocean data. The platform facilitates data collection, processing, integration, and action across missions and organizations. It offers a maritime autonomy stack enabling interoperability across autonomous systems. The platform supports command and control, infrastructure monitoring, stakeholder collaboration, resource mapping, and threat detection. It integrates data from various sources, including autonomous underwater vehicles, sensors, and public datasets.
- May 2022Grant (prize money)$100K
- Apr 2022Series B$20M
- Dec 2019Series A$8M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Launch Vehicles is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Launch Vehicles — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 1,518 United States-affiliated papers.
- Marshall Space Flight Center339
- Langley Research Center111
- Jacobs77
- Purdue University West Lafayette61
- Ames Research Center61
- Detonation1→8
- Trajectory2→6
- Rocket (weapon)16→20
- Combustor1→4
- Propellant13→14
- Detonation10→40
- Propulsion26→34
- Liquid-propellant rocket20→28
- Combustor10→15
- Combustion11→16
- Detonation2→11
- Rocket (weapon)20→21
- Rocket engine12→13
Where launch vehicles is researched across United States
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing launch vehicles patents in the United States
United States launch vehicles patent filing is accelerating — 333 filings from 249 assignees (2016–2025), led by Boeing, BLUE Origin, United Technologies; annual filings 29→46.
- Boeing47
- BLUE Origin44
- United Technologies33
- Venus Aerospace25
- 8 Rivers Capital19
- Aerojet Rocketdyne15
- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne13
- Aerojet General13
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.