Best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech Companies in New York, United States
The 124 best Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in New York, 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
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheels Up 🦄 Online membership-platform for booking private jets | $402M | 34 mo ago | Public | Bill Allard Co-Founder | 2013 | WagtailApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+32 | — | 1 partnership · 1 award |
| 2 | L3 GCS Provider of satellite communications services | $170M | 189 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | 1998 | — | 2 patents Estimating subsurface formation pressure for petroleum exploration and production | — |
| 3 | Plusgrade Provider of ancillary revenue solutions and loyalty program enhancement technologies | $151M | 27 mo ago | Series B | — | 2009 | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceNode.js+23 | — | — |
| 4 | HyperSat Provider of hyperspectral imagery and analysis for government and commercial sectors | $85M | 93 mo ago | Series B | Derek Woods Founder & CEO | 2015 | — | — | — |
| 5 | NYSHEX Provider of a platform for managing and improving ocean supply chains | $69M | 19 mo ago | Series C | Mark Michaels Co-Founder & Board Member | 2014 | Apple iCloud MailNode.jsReact+16 | — | — |
| 6 | Ursa Space Provider of an AI and cloud-based satellite intelligence solution for businesses and governments 35Funding top 27%Talent top 28%Moat top 31%Tech top 39% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 27% Talenttop 28% Moattop 31% Techtop 39% Growthtop 45% Producttop 45% Globalbottom 37% Marketbottom 34% Newsbottom 21% Fin. healthbottom 10% Funding: Raised $65.9M across 13 rounds · 13 rounds over 11 yrs (1.2/yr) Talent: Analyst team rating 4/5 · 3 named leaders on record rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 35/100 | $66M | 10 mo ago | Series C | Derek Edinger Advisor | 2014 | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+29 | — | 3 internships |
| 7 | The Drone Racing League Provider of racing drones and racing competitions | $60M | 66 mo ago | Acquired | Nicholas Horbaczewski Founder & CEO | 2015 | WebflowApple iCloud MailMicrosoft Advertising+10 | 36 patents Autonomous drone AI control, simulation, security, health monitoring, and 3D tracking systems | — |
| 8 | Nautilus Labs Platform offering AI-driven voyage optimization and decarbonization solutions for the maritime industry | $48M | 51 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2016 | — | 710 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 9 | Bedrock Operator of autonomous underwater vehicles providing high-resolution seafloor data services 32Funding top 33%Moat top 37%Patents top 40%News top 44% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 33% Moattop 37% Patentstop 40% Newstop 44% Innovationtop 45% Talentbottom 49% Techbottom 39% Globalbottom 37% Marketbottom 32% Funding: Raised $37.9M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 6 yrs (0.7/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 7/10 · IP moat: 9 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $38M | 12 mo ago | Series A | Charles Chiau Co-Founder | 2019 | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+14 | 9 patents Standby fuel storage for uninterrupted power and data analytics/security solutions | 3 partnerships |
| 10 | Aerodome Developer of drones for public safety | $28M | 24 mo ago | Acquired | Rahul Sidhu Co-Founder & CEO | 2023 | Apple iCloud MailGoogle WorkspaceReact+14 | — | — |
| 11 | Hidden Level Developer of RF sensing technology for airspace monitoring and threat detection | $17M | 16 mo ago | Series C | — | 2018 | WebflowApple iCloud MailSalesforce+22 | — | — |
| 12 | Near Space Labs Provider of balloon-based imaging services | $17M | 13 mo ago | Series B | Rema Matevosyan Co-Founder & CEO | 2016 | WordPressApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+25 | — | 3 job openings · 1 award |
| 13 | Launcher Manufacturer of small satellite launch vehicle and 3D-printed liquid propellant rocket engines | $12M | 60 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2016 | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+8 | 2 patents Modular firearm customization and integrated extendable illumination systems | — |
| 14 | SW/TCH Operator of vessels providing transportation and logistics for the maritime industry | $10M | 31 mo ago | Series A | Volckert Van Reesema Co-Founder / Principal | 2017 | — | — | — |
| 15 | Routehappy Driving modern airline retailing through innovative solutions and industry collaboration | $8M | 129 mo ago | Acqui-Hired | — | 2011 | — | — | — |
| 16 | MySky Provider of spend management platform for the business aviation industry | $7M | 22 mo ago | Acquired | Kirill Kim Co-Founder & CEO | 2016 | TurbopackNode.jsTailwind CSS+18 | — | — |
| 17 | Easy Aerial Autonomous drone-in-a-box solutions for defense, security, and commercial applications | $6M | 69 mo ago | Series A | — | 2014 | NginxGoogle Font APIFont Awesome+5 | 26 patents Patents concentrated in transport & manufacturing processes | 2 job openings · 1 partnership · 1 expansion |
| 18 | Honeybee Robotics Provider of robotic focused research & development services | $6M | 13 mo ago | Acquired | — | 1983 | — | 69 patents Robotic planetary sampling, in-space grasping, and vacuum containment for space missions. | — |
| 19 | Accipiter Radar Technologies Radar surveillance solutions for enhanced safety and security across domains | $5M | 153 mo ago | Series A | — | 1994 | WordPressMySQLPHP+21 | 7 patents Advanced avian detection and mitigation radar systems for wildlife monitoring and protection | — |
| 20 | Wright Electric Developer of commercial hybrid-electric airplanes | $5M | 14 mo ago | Seed | — | 2016 | — | — | — |
| 21 | Maritime Broadband Communication systems provider for maritime | $4M | 145 mo ago | Deadpooled | Mary Ellen Kramer Founder & ex-President | 2008 | — | — | — |
| 22 | Vermeer Provider of an AR-based drone control system 50Growth top 17%News top 20%Talent top 28%Moat top 38% All 10 signals ▾Growthtop 17% Newstop 20% Talenttop 28% Moattop 38% Patentstop 39% Fundingtop 41% Techbottom 48% Innovationbottom 45% Globalbottom 42% Marketbottom 28% Growth: 5 acquisition/expansion moves in 24 mo · Fresh capital in last 24 mo News: 9 BI events in 12 mo (of 60 tracked, 10 types) · +800% YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $3M | 7 mo ago | Series A | — | 2015 | WebflowLeafletMapbox.js+18 | 33 patents Precision soil handling equipment and advanced horizontal directional drilling detection technologies. | 1 launch |
| 23 | AireXpert Provider of web-based aircraft maintenance and MRO management solutions | $3M | 31 mo ago | Series A | Andy Hakes Chief Executive Officer | 2014 | WebflowAmazon Web ServicesTypekit+18 | — | — |
| 24 | EagleHawk Provides information services using drone, thermal imaging and sensor technology | $3M | 18 mo ago | Funding Raised | Patrick Walsh Co-Founder & CEO | 2016 | — | 2 patents Secure data handling by disassembling and masking data elements and their relationships | — |
| 25 | Bradford Space Manufacturer of the satellite control sub-systems and compoenents | $2M | 63 mo ago | Acquired | Ian Fichtenbaum CEO | 1984 | Node.jsThree.jsRadix UI+13 | — | — |
| 26 | Modovolo Manufacturer of configurable drones for diverse industry applications and payload support | $2M | 20 mo ago | Seed | Justin Call Co-Founder | 2023 | — | 3 patents Modular aircraft design and reconfigurable airframe systems | — |
| 27 | Rocketstar Developer of fusion-enhanced propulsion systems and digital signal processing software | $2M | 29 mo ago | Seed | Chris Craddock Founder & CEO | 2014 | WordPressMySQLPHP+18 | — | — |
| 28 | Voltela Provider of a communication platform for commercial drones | $1M | 15 mo ago | Funding Raised | — | 2021 | — | — | — |
| 29 | Aeroxo Long range aerial robotics and data gathering platform | $1M | 132 mo ago | Deadpooled | Ilya Golubovich Co-Founder | 2014 | — | — | — |
| 30 | ResilienX Provider of safety assurance solutions for autonomous aviation ecosystems operations | $671K | 26 mo ago | Seed | Ryan Pleskach Co-Founder & COO | 2018 | WebflowYouTubeLenis+12 | 5 patents Real-time aviation safety monitoring and taskable aerial network coordination systems. | 2 job openings · 1 partnership |
| 31 | Astrabeam Developer of millimeter-wave and sub-terahertz wireless sensing devices | $276K | 46 mo ago | Funding Raised | Kevin Gu Founder & CEO | 2021 | — | — | — |
| 32 | Technergetics Diverse software for the military | $248K | 63 mo ago | Funding Raised | Robert Harrod Owner / Principal | 2013 | — | — | 1 partnership |
| 33 | Manifold Robotics Offers autonomous platforms for surface water operations | $225K | 88 mo ago | Funding Raised | Jeffrey Laut CEO | 2017 | — | — | — |
| 34 | Rotabull Provider of platform for the sale of aviation parts | $195K | 85 mo ago | Seed | Ben Frank Founder | 2017 | — | — | 1 partnership |
| 35 | Pilota An AI-driven platform that provides flight information | $150K | 64 mo ago | Seed | — | 2019 | — | — | — |
| 36 | EVA Provider of drone-based solutions and infrastructure | $150K | 74 mo ago | Seed | Olivier Lann Co-Founder & CEO | 2016 | — | — | — |
| 37 | Duro UAS Provider of AUVs for environment safety and sustainability | $150K | 92 mo ago | Seed | Brian Wilson Founder & CEO | 2015 | — | — | — |
| 38 | Seer Aerospace Fleet analytics solution for aviation industry | $120K | 108 mo ago | Deadpooled | Ben Frank Co-Founder | 2016 | — | — | — |
| 39 | Molo Business management platform for Marines | $100K | 108 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2012 | WordPressMySQLPHP+33 | — | — |
Top 12 Aerospace, Maritime and Defense Tech companies in New York
#1
Series C · Ithaca, New York · founded 2014 · 70 employees$65.9Mraised▾
Provider of an AI and cloud-based satellite intelligence solution for businesses and governments. Their in-house analytics engine extracts relevant information from satellite imagery and provides maps displaying such information. Currently, use cases include Security, Economy Monitoring, Oil Tank Measurement, Car Counting, and Ship Monitoring. They are extending the product to include other use cases such as City Growth, Stockpile measurement, emission tracking, and ice cover tracking.
- Aug 2025Series C—
- Nov 2024Venture Debt$10M
- Aug 2024Series C$1.3M
- Jan 2024Series C$6.2M
#2
Series A · Brooklyn, New York · founded 2019 · 42 employees$37.9Mraised▾
Operator of autonomous underwater vehicles providing high-resolution seafloor data services. It designs, builds, and operates AUVs optimized for nearshore geophysical surveys. The company delivers geophysical survey data that meets stringent IHO standards. It serves industries including offshore wind, cultural resource management, maritime security, and port infrastructure.
- Jun 2025Series A$25M
- Jul 2023Series A$25.5M
- Mar 2021Seed$8M
- Apr 2020Seed$4.4M
#3
Series A · Brooklyn, New York · founded 2015 · 20 employees$3.3Mraised▾
Provider of an AR-based drone control system. It designs a flight in an augmented reality environment for the drone to execute it autonomously in the real world. The platform allows the user to move their phone camera through a miniature AR model of their location to create a path for the drone to mimic the exact motion and relative speed in the real world. The application is compatible with iOS devices.
- Oct 2025Series A$10M
- May 2025Series A$3.5M
- Jun 2022Seed$1.6M
- Jan 2020Seed—
#4
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
#5
Series B · Brooklyn, New York · founded 2016 · 47 employees$16.8Mraised▾
Provider of balloon-based imaging services. It offers high-resolution, low-cost stratospheric imagery for large-scale Earth observation. The platform supports applications such as construction progress monitoring, infrastructure planning, disaster response, environmental conservation, insurance assessment, utilities, transportation, and energy sector monitoring.
- Apr 2025Series B$20M
- Feb 2025Series A—
- Jul 2024Grant (prize money)$299.7K
- Sep 2021Series A$13M
#6
Series C · Syracuse, New York · founded 2018 · 50 employees$17.3Mraised▾
Developer of RF sensing technology for airspace monitoring and threat detection. It provides hardware and data services for defense, critical infrastructure, and public safety applications. The company's technology detects and tracks aerial activity, dark targets, and spectral weather using passive, multifunction sensors. It offers solutions for drone defense, infrastructure inspection, and cross-agency coordination. The company aims to provide clarity and confidence in critical decision-making through advanced RF sensing.
- Feb 2025Series C$65M
- Aug 2024Series C$66.5M
- 2024Series B$35M
- Feb 2024Series B$42.6M
#7
Acquired · Brooklyn, New York · founded 1983 · 318 employees$6Mraised▾
Provider of robotic focused research & development services
- May 2025Grant (prize money)$566.4K
- Mar 2025Grant (prize money)$562.7K
- Feb 2025Grant (prize money)$488.7K
- Sep 2024Grant (prize money)$1.6M
#8
Seed · Hastings on Hudson, New York · founded 2016 · 20 employees$4.5Mraised▾
Wright Electric Airplanes is an early stage startup focused on developing electric airplanes for commercial applications. As per the company, the first product would be a 9-seater hybrid-electric plane for flights under 300 miles. In Mar 2017, the company announced its plans to develop a 150-seat plane.
- Apr 2025Grant (prize money)$1.5M
- Mar 2025Grant (prize money)$3M
- Mar 2017Seed—
- Aug 2016Grant (prize money)$40K
#9
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
#10
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—
#11
Funding Raised · Buffalo, New York · founded 2016 · 16 employees$2.7Mraised▾
EagleHawk provides information services using a drone, thermal imaging, and sensor technology. The company offers inspection of roofs, bridges, solar panels, building envelopes, facades, district heating systems, and more. It offers geographic data for mapping and survey.
- Dec 2024Conventional Debt$550K
- Mar 2023Conventional Debt$255K
- Dec 2021Conventional Debt$202K
- Dec 2021Conventional Debt$500K
#12
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
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
- Firehawk Aerospace13
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.