Self-Driving Software Developer Shield AI Raises $90M in Funding Round

Defense technology company Shield AI has secured $90 million in a round of Series C equity and debt financing led by venture capital firm Point72 Ventures.

The company said Tuesday it will use the funds to further integrate into additional defense platforms its self-driving software, called Hivemind.

Shield AI’s Nova-class small unmanned aircraft systems are equipped with Hivemind to facilitate indoor-outdoor reconnaissance without the need for communication links or GPS. 

"The funding allows Shield AI to accelerate delivery of next generation AI capabilities to conflict zones at scale,” said Ryan Tseng, co-founder and CEO of Shield AI.

Shield AI works with defense original equipment manufacturers and the Department of Defense to integrate its Hivemind autonomy and artificial intelligence software stack into unmanned platforms. The company trains drones to acquire new tactics and perform clearance operations and other missions through the application of reinforcement learning to scalable simulations.