Best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech Companies in New York City, United States
The 53 best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in New York City, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Wheels Up.
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 New York City
| # | Company | Last round | Disclosed funding | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Web popularity | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Advanced Wing Systems Manufacturer of auxiliary ship sail propulsion systems | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | AeroAvion Provider of an online platform to buy and sell aircraft and aircraft parts | — | — | — | Michael Colley Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+36 | Top 10M | — | — |
| 3 | AES Provider of blockchain & web-based container tracking solutions | — | — | — | Bernie Jackson Owner | — | — | 225 patents Automation and optimization of solar/wind energy installation, operation, and monitoring systems. | — |
| 4 | AgrowDrone Develops drones for agricultural purposes | — | — | — | Mike Harris CEO & President | — | — | — | — |
| 5 | AirReserves.com Flight management software for small and medium size airliners | — | — | — | Raffi Kahane Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | AS-IP Tech Provider of in-flight connectivity solutions | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | AvNav Provides web-based EFB solutions to pilots | — | — | — | Sanjay Kumar Founder | UbuntuNginxCloudflare+10 | Top 50M | — | — |
| 8 | BoatQuest Online listing platform for used boats | — | — | 442 | — | — | — | — | — |
Top 12 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in New York City
#1
Series C · New York City, New York · founded 2014 · 158 employees$69Mraised▾
Provider of a platform for managing and improving ocean supply chains. The platform offers tools for planning, cost optimization, and operational control. It facilitates adapting to new information and challenges to align volumes and costs with plans. The system provides alerts and data to help resolve issues and maintain plans. It also offers access to data and metrics for performance improvement.
- Nov 2024Series C—
- Sep 2022Series B$25M
- Aug 2021Series B$15M
- Aug 2020Series A$13.5M
#2
Public · New York City, New York · founded 2013 · 71 employees$401.6Mraised▾
Online membership-platform for booking private jets. The platform offers private jet booking to guests based on membership. They claim to guarantee occupied pricing on a pay-as-you-fly basis and exclusive access to a private fleet of brand new aircraft. They offer individual and corporate membership plans.
- Aug 2023Post IPO—
- May 2019Series D$128.4M
- Jun 2017Series D$117.5M
- Feb 2017Series C$300K
#3
Funding Raised · New York City, New York · founded 2021 · 6 employees$1.5Mraised▾
Provider of a communication platform for commercial drones. It offers a voice channel for reliable and low-latency drone communication via any mobile network. It uses proprietary hardware and software solutions to provide a global connectivity service. It caters to logistic, transportation, and energy industries.
- Mar 2025Grant (prize money)$1.2M
- Jan 2022Grant (prize money)$256K
#4
Series B · New York City, New York · founded 2009 · 16 employees$150.7Mraised▾
Provider of ancillary revenue solutions and loyalty program enhancement technologies. The company focuses on revenue generation and customer experience improvements for the travel industry. It offers solutions for premium upgrades, seat blocking, and speed passes. Additionally, it provides loyalty solutions designed to enhance program member engagement.
- Mar 2024Series B—
- Sep 2021Series B—
- Nov 2018Series B$150.7M
- Aug 2015Seed—
#5
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2016 · 82 employees$7.2Mraised▾
Provider of spend management platform for the business aviation industry. The platform offers solutions for buyers, owners, management companies, and flight departments. It provides tools for scheduling, quoting, budgeting, spend processing, tax reporting, and compliance. The platform aims to reduce operating costs, scale businesses, minimize budget risks, and grow charter revenue.
- Aug 2024Series A$2.2M
- Jun 2020Series A$5M
#6
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2023$28Mraised▾
Developer of drones for public safety. It also offers AI-powered software operating system to help with first-response emergencies.
- May 2024Series A$21.5M
- Oct 2023Seed$6.5M
#7
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2016 · 86 employees$48Mraised▾
Platform offering AI-driven voyage optimization and decarbonization solutions for the maritime industry. It enables maritime fleets to optimize shipping routes and energy costs in real-time. It provides real-time fleet performance insights and operating recommendations to reduce emissions while maximizing commercial returns.
- Mar 2022Series B$34M
- Sep 2020Series A$120K
- Apr 2019Series A$11M
- Feb 2017Seed$2M
#8
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2015$59.9Mraised▾
DRL provides racing drones. The drones provided include Racer4 and RacerX. There are two rounds in a match: A Semi-Finals round & a Finals round. In Semi-Finals, two groups of six pilots fly a total of six heats. A pilot will need two wins to advance and secure a spot in the Finals. All pilots who do not win two heats will fly a sudden death heat to fill the remaining spots in the Finals. In the Finals, all pilots fly six regular heats. Any pilot that wins one heat earns a spot in the Golden Heat. The winner of the Golden Heat wins the Level.
- Dec 2020Series C—
- Jun 2019Series C$26.4M
- Mar 2017Series B$20M
- Sep 2016Series A$1M
#9
Seed · New York City, New York · founded 2014 · 9 employees$2Mraised▾
Developer of fusion-enhanced propulsion systems and digital signal processing software. The company focuses on advancing space travel through improved engine technology and signal processing capabilities. It offers electric propulsion devices enhanced with nuclear fusion for spacecraft. The company also provides software solutions for tactical radio communications, signal identification, and antenna receiver systems.
- Jan 2024Seed$2M
#10
Series B · New York City, New York · founded 2015$85Mraised▾
Provider of hyperspectral imagery and analysis for government and commercial sectors. The company delivers hyperspectral data through satellite tasking, collection, processing, and distribution. It utilizes satellite sensors to collect reflected light across narrow spectral bands. Computer algorithms compare collected data to reference spectra to determine image composition. The company integrates data to create metadata hypercubes for various sectors.
- Sep 2018Series B$85M
#11
Acquired · New York City, New York · founded 2016 · 79 employees$11.7Mraised▾
Manufacturer of small satellite launch vehicle and 3D-printed liquid propellant rocket engines. It has developed a 3D-printed engine fueled with liquid oxygen and kerosene which can generate 500 pound-force. It is made using a high-performance copper alloy. It also develops launch vehicles for small payloads.
- Jun 2021Series A$11.7M
#12
Series A · New York City, New York · founded 2014 · 98 employees$6.2Mraised▾
Autonomous drone-in-a-box solutions for defense, security, and commercial applications. They specialize in military-grade autonomous drone systems designed for harsh environments, offering both tethered and free-flight UAV solutions. Their products are proudly made in the USA and NDAA compliant, catering to mobile military operations, on-site inspections, and persistent surveillance. They provide versatile aerial solutions for unparalleled protection and situational awareness. Their offerings include drone-in-a-box systems, handheld control stations, and advanced mobile solutions. They serve various industries including government, defense, police, fire, disaster response, infrastructure, security, and more. They focus on autonomous technology, UAV development, perimeter security, and drone inspections.
- Aug 2020Series A$6.2M
- Jan 2020Grant (prize money)$1M
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
- Firehawk Aerospace13
- 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.