Shield AI

Shield AI reported zero layoffs through 2025 while expanding significantly. In March 2026, the company raised $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a $12.7 billion valuation (up 140% from $5.3B in March 2025), led by Advent International and JPMorgan. The funding enables continued hiring as the company was selected by the U.S. Air Force for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft program. Hivemind autonomy software has piloted 26 vehicle types including F-16s.

Shield AI won a $198 million contract in July 2024 to provide V-BAT autonomous drones to the U.S. Coast Guard for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions through 2029. The company also competes for up to $800 million in Navy ISR services. V-BAT drones operate using Shield AI's proprietary Hivemind autonomous technology for fully automated flight. The company's valuation reached $12.7 billion after a $1.5 billion Series G, with contracts including Ukraine operations (170+ sorties) and pending Japan ($25M) and Greece (€71M) deals.

Shield AI builds autonomous military drones and AI for defense.