companies

Shield AI

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-technology company that develops Hivemind autonomy software and defense aircraft, including V-BAT and X-BAT.

Founded in 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, and Andrew Reiter, Shield AI develops artificial-intelligence and autonomous systems designed to protect service members and civilians. Its products include Hivemind, a modular, platform-agnostic autonomy software platform, as well as V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft and Aechelon simulation and synthetic-reality technologies. Hivemind is designed to support autonomous mission execution and operations in GPS- and communications-denied environments. Shield AI has offices and facilities across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, with headquarters in San Diego, California. In March 2025, Shield AI announced a $240 million funding round at a $5.3 billion valuation and appointed Gary Steele as CEO, with Ryan Tseng becoming president. In March 2026, the company announced $1.5 billion in Series G funding and $500 million in preferred equity financing at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation. Shield AI completed its acquisition of Aechelon Technology in June 2026, adding high-fidelity simulation, physics-based sensor modeling, and synthetic-reality capabilities.

Founded

2015

Headquarters

San Diego, United States

Sector

robotics