Hello followers! Today’s article dives into the exciting world of defense tech and how a company called Anduril is making bold moves.

Anduril Industries, known for its innovative autonomous weapons and control software, just secured a huge fundraising round. Led by Founders Fund, the startup raised an incredible $2.5 billion, pushing its valuation to a staggering $30.5 billion. This is the largest check the firm has ever written, highlighting the massive interest in defense innovation.

The round was so oversubscribed that many more investors wanted in than were able to buy stock, over 8 times more. The funding followed a doubling of Anduril’s revenue in 2024 to about $1 billion, showing strong growth.

One of the key reasons for this success is their recent US Army contract for developing new AR/VR headsets for soldiers. Originally awarded to Microsoft with a huge $22 billion budget, the contract was reassigned to Anduril in February. This milestone not only boosts their profile but also marks a significant shift in defense technology partnerships.

Palmer Luckey, the founder of Anduril, even publicly apologized to his former employer Meta for the company’s involvement in the military project, emphasizing the importance of this contract. The company’s executive chair and co-founder, Trae Stephens, shared insights about this funding in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

With this fresh capital, Anduril continues to grow its presence in defense tech, especially as they enjoy the spotlight from recent achievements and lucrative government contracts.