Shield AI

Shield AI is a defense technology company based in San Diego that develops AI-powered autonomy software and unmanned aircraft systems for military applications. The core of Shield AI's technology is Hivemind, its main AI pilot software. Hivemind can be added to drones and other aircraft to enable autonomous flying and swarming. Shield AI claims it can be trained for missions like surveillance, aerial combat, and missile hunting. This software powers products such as the V-BAT VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) drone and the X-BAT VTOL fighter jet built for long-range missions in tough airspace. Shield AI also licenses Hivemind to major defense companies like Airbus, Kratos, and L3Harris, who use it in their own systems.

Shield AI’s technology is used in military surveillance, border security, maritime operations, and electronic warfare. The V-BAT drone was especially effective in Ukraine after an eight-month update in 2024 that added jamming resistance with Hivemind. It completed over 35 missions and identified more than 200 Russian targets. On the civilian side, Frontex used the V-BAT between May and June 2025 for a pilot project to monitor Europe’s borders.

Shield AI was founded in 2015 and has grown significantly in recent years. The company landed its first major contract in 2016 with the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Innovation Unit. By 2022, it secured a $60 million contract from the U.S. Air Force. A $198 million deal with the U.S. Coast Guard and growing partnerships in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East have helped keep this momentum going. Its revenue reached an estimated $267 million in 2024, a 64% increase from $163 million in 2023.

Investor confidence in Shield AI has grown with its revenues. In March 2025, the company raised $240 million in a Series F-1 round, boosting its valuation to $5.3 billion. Key investors included L3Harris and Hanwha Asset Management, along with existing backers like Andreessen Horowitz, U.S. Innovative Technology, and Washington Harbour. Earlier investors such as Snowpoint Ventures, Riot Ventures, Point72 Ventures, Breyer Capital, SVB Capital, and Bloomberg Beta have helped bring total equity funding to about $1.4 billion.

Shield AI is a private business, so its stock is not tradable on public equity markets. That said, you can still invest in Shield AI and become a Limited Partner through Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs). Acquire.Fi connects qualified buyers with the Shield AI team and their early investors who want to exit their positions via SPVs. You can buy Shield AI SPV interests by browsing existing offers in the Acquire.Fi Secondaries Marketplace, or by submitting a new Buy listing with your own ticket amount and valuation.

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