Government Contracts

CEO Peggy Johnson was selected to join Project Meridian, a Department of War-commissioned 120-day study examining future warfare technologies including robotics, co-directed by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich. Johnson stated: "I see an important opportunity for humanoid robots to support the men and women serving our country by taking on physically demanding and repetitive logistics tasks." This raises conflict-of-interest questions given Agility's pending $2.5B SPAC merger under SEC review.

PsiQuantum finalized a $100 million award from the U.S. Department of Commerce under the CHIPS and Science Act in September 2026 to support quantum computing R&D and domestic semiconductor manufacturing. The company also holds a $125 million DARPA contract signed in July 2026 and has collaborated with the Air Force Research Lab since 2022. PsiQuantum invested approximately $200 million with American suppliers across 38 states in 2025.

Whoop was awarded a contract from MIT Lincoln Laboratory, under sponsorship from the U.S. Navy, to support the Navy's Command Readiness, Endurance and Watchstanding (CREW) program. The wearable will evaluate crew readiness and reduce fatigue-related risk across naval forces by continuously tracking sleep, recovery, strain, and heart health. Data flows into the Navy's Optimized Watchbill Logistics tool to inform scheduling and identify personnel at high fatigue risk. Whoop emphasized strict data governance: "This integration is limited exclusively to designated personnel and does not access or utilize data from the broader WHOOP membership base."

Advent International announced a commitment to invest up to $1 billion in next-generation defense technology companies, with emphasis on AI and autonomous systems. As the initial investment, Advent co-led Shield AI's $1.5 billion Series G at a $12.7 billion valuation. Shield AI develops AI-powered autonomous systems for military air operations, with its Hivemind AI pilot software flying drones for the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard. Managing Partner Shonnel Malani stated Advent will "support the next generation of defense technology companies at this critical moment." Since 2020, Advent has deployed over $15 billion in the defense sector including Cobham, Ultra Electronics, Vantor, and Attalon.

Google completed its $32B acquisition of Wiz (the largest in Google history and largest Israeli tech exit ever) in March 2026. Critics noted Google already faced internal protests over Project Nimbus cloud contracts with the Israeli government. Wiz founders' deep ties to IDF Unit 8200 (Israel's cyber-intelligence unit) raised concerns about defense connections. However, Wiz primarily provides commercial cloud security and has no documented direct government surveillance contracts.

In June 2025, Battery Ventures General Partners Aaron Neil and Michael Brown published "Investing in Strength: The Case for Modern Defense Tech," articulating the firm's explicit support for defense technology investment. Battery views the DoD's $64B IT budget as a major opportunity and has backed companies selling to the DoD including Second Front Systems (DevSecOps for DoD) and Insitu (tactical drones, later acquired by Boeing). The thesis argues legacy prime contractors have become "deeply entrenched, leading to lackluster innovation."

Snowflake achieved Department of Defense Impact Level 5 (IL5) Provisional Authorization from DISA in April 2025, the highest level for Controlled Unclassified Information. Services are now available to the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Combatant Commands. Snowflake also holds IL4 authorization and IRS 1075 certification. The company launched Snowflake Public Sector Inc. and acquired Night Shift Development to expand federal work.

Scale AI Pentagon contracts. "AI will transform military operating process." Youngest self-made billionaire from defense tech.

Xanadu progressed to Stage B of DARPA's Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, unlocking potential funding of up to $15 million. The company was also selected for Canada's Quantum Champions Program with funding support of up to CAD $23 million. Xanadu went public in 2025 at a $3.6 billion valuation with $302 million in gross proceeds, becoming the first publicly traded pure-play photonic quantum computing company (ticker: XNDU on Nasdaq/TSX).

Led DOGE while his companies received $38B+ in government funding. SpaceX contracts were not cut despite DOGE canceling 10,000+ federal contracts. DOJ dropped multiple investigations into Tesla and SpaceX during his DOGE tenure. GSA adopted Starlink broadband under DOGE pressure. Critics including Sen. Warren called it "corruption on a scale not seen in our lifetimes." Musk was the sole arbiter of his own conflicts of interest.

Anchorage Digital is the only federally chartered cryptocurrency bank in the United States, operating under Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) oversight. The company actively advocates for crypto-friendly regulation through the Blockchain Leadership Fund PAC. CEO Nathan McCauley testified before Congress in February 2025 on digital asset regulation. The federal banking charter positions Anchorage as a key institutional bridge between traditional finance and cryptocurrency.

Icon Technologies holds a $57 million NASA contract to develop lunar construction technology using its 3D printing systems. The company stated its "streamlined team" would focus on "key projects across residential, hospitality, social/affordable and those within the Department of Defense." Icon's government work spans NASA extraterrestrial construction research and DoD infrastructure applications, representing a significant portion of its strategic focus after pivoting away from pure commercial homebuilding.

Meta previously avoided government contracts. Now pursuing defense work under Zuckerberg 2.0. Policy shift.

Anthropic announced a partnership with Palantir and AWS in November 2024 to provide Claude to US defense and intelligence agencies, prompting internal employee debate.

Anduril partnership announced 2024. Pentagon interested. Shift from "not for military" to defense contracts.

In October 2024, Oura received a $96 million sole-source contract from the Pentagon to provide smart rings and wellness services to Defense Health Agency personnel across 130 military medical treatment facilities through September 2025. DoD data is stored on IL-5 certified servers provided by Palantir's FedStart infrastructure. The partnership triggered backlash on social media in 2025 with users concerned about health data privacy, though Oura maintains DoD data is completely separate from consumer data.

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.

Cohere announced a partnership with the UK government and Palantir in 2024 to provide AI tools for public sector use, including defense applications.

Palantir partnership for government AI. Claude for defense and intelligence use. Shift from pure safety focus.

Received $7.86B CHIPS Act grant, largest award. $3B additional for Secure Enclave program. Critical to US semiconductor independence strategy.

Major federal contractor across defense and civilian agencies. Quantum computing research with DoD. Provides cloud and AI to intelligence community.

$1.2B+ DISA contract. Provides networking to Pentagon and intelligence agencies. Secure government cloud infrastructure. Major defense contractor.

Major federal contractor for hardware and infrastructure. JWCC cloud contract participant. Provides servers and storage to defense and civilian agencies.

$931M+ DoD contracts. GreenLake for government cloud. Provides servers and storage to Pentagon and intelligence agencies.

Provides chips for defense systems. Less government-dependent than Intel. Growing AI chip contracts with DoD.

Major FedRAMP certified vendor. Provides IT service management to federal agencies. Growing defense business.

Export restrictions on China. But provides chips to US military and allies. H100/A100 critical for defense AI systems.

Built on government contracts. ICE deportation software. Pentagon MAVEN contract. Army Vantage. $2B+ annual government revenue.

Chair Defense Innovation Board. Advocated for Pentagon AI adoption. Investment in defense startups. Bridges Silicon Valley and Pentagon.

Built Palantir on government contracts. ICE, Army, CIA. Advocate for Silicon Valley-Pentagon partnership.

Anduril valued at $14B. Pentagon contracts for autonomous weapons. Border surveillance systems. Military AI pioneer.

Export restrictions hurt China sales. But US military and allies get priority. H100 critical for defense AI.

SpaceX (related to Tesla via Musk) major NASA and DoD contractor. Starlink for military. Monopolizing space launch.

Google Project Nimbus $1.2B. Pentagon JWCC cloud. But employee protests over military AI. Internal tensions.

Amazon AWS GovCloud. Project Nimbus. CIA contract. Pentagon JWCC. Major federal infrastructure provider.

Microsoft Azure Government. Pentagon JEDI (cancelled) to JWCC. Army IVAS. Major defense contractor.

Apple avoids government contracts compared to peers. Privacy focus conflicts with government surveillance.

Elon Musk SpaceX/Starlink major government contractor. Pentagon. NASA. DOGE government efficiency role.

Peter Thiel Palantir ICE, Army contracts. CIA backing. Founders Fund defense focus. Pentagon bridge.

Apple avoids government compared to peers. Privacy stance conflicts with surveillance.

Netflix minimal government contracts. Entertainment focus. Reed Hastings philanthropic.

Adobe government creative tools. FedRAMP certified. Less controversial than peers.

Sequoia defense tech investments increasing. Wiz, Israeli portfolio. Enterprise shift.

Founders Fund Palantir, Anduril, SpaceX. Defense tech dominant. Peter Thiel influence.

Welsh Carson specializes in healthcare and technology, holding over 100 healthcare company investments across its 45-year history. Portfolio includes companies serving government healthcare programs (Medicare, Medicaid), defense health systems, and federal IT services. Current holdings span primary care, ambulatory surgery, imaging, and healthcare software that interface with government payers. The $28B AUM firm prioritizes sectors with substantial government revenue streams.

$6.7B Pentagon JWCC cloud contract alongside AWS, Microsoft, Google. Provides database and cloud to federal agencies. Oracle Government Cloud expanding.

Built ICE's FALCON system used for immigration enforcement since 2014. $30M ImmigrationOS contract renewed 2022. Software used to track undocumented immigrants and facilitate deportations. Employee protests ignored.

Lost $10B JEDI contract to Microsoft (later canceled). Won NSA $10B secret cloud contract. AWS GovCloud serves CIA, FBI, ICE. Employee protests over Rekognition facial recognition sales to law enforcement. No withdrawal from controversial contracts.

Francisco Partners' cybersecurity portfolio includes significant government contractors. The firm acquired Forcepoint (a provider of user and data security) for $1.1B in January 2021, which serves government and enterprise customers. Sumo Logic's federal cloud analytics business continued post-acquisition. The firm's tech-focused PE strategy spans security companies that often hold government contracts, though Francisco Partners itself doesn't take public positions on defense work.

Employees protested $479M Army HoloLens IVAS contract. Azure serves ICE despite 2018 employee letter. Satya defended "lawful" contracts. Unlike Google, did not withdraw from controversial work. Calls itself "principled" in government deals.

Chainalysis has been contracted by most federal law enforcement agencies since 2015, including IRS-Criminal Investigation, ICE, FBI, and DEA for blockchain surveillance. Federal spending on Chainalysis reached over $5M annually by 2019 — a 22,000%+ increase from just years prior. The IRS awarded Chainalysis a $625K contract to develop tools to track privacy coins like Monero and Lightning Network. In 2026, Chainalysis sued the government after ICE awarded a $94.6M contract to competitor TRM Labs, calling it the largest blockchain analytics contract ever.

4,000+ employees signed petition against Project Maven AI drone targeting contract. 12 resigned in protest. Google chose not to renew contract in 2018. Published AI principles excluding weapons. Rare case of employee activism succeeding.

Awarded potential $750 million five-year DoD contract through Defense Innovation Unit (DIUx) in 2017 with partner World Wide Technology. Provides endpoint security management to Army Network Enterprise Technology Command covering 1.2 million network endpoints. Today deployed across all six branches of the U.S. Armed Forces protecting 34 million endpoints. FedRAMP Moderate certified, DISA STIG compliant, and CMMC Level 2 aligned.

Providence Equity owned USIS, the largest private provider of government background investigations, receiving $253 million (67% of OPM contract spending) in fiscal 2012. USIS conducted the inadequate background checks that cleared Edward Snowden and Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis. A DOJ whistleblower lawsuit alleged USIS engaged in "dumping"—submitting incomplete cases as complete to meet quotas. Providence also acquired SRA International, a $1.9B defense IT contractor, expanding its government surveillance portfolio.