Defense
A new generation of defense companies is being built at the intersection of software, autonomy, and advanced manufacturing, and we partner with those founders to strengthen America and the world’s democracies.
What we do
We Invest in the Builders of Modern Deterrence
For two generations, deterrence rested on a small number of exquisite, expensive platforms. That era has definitively ended. Conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East have shown that the decisive edge now comes from systems that are autonomous, low-cost, and produced at massive scale, and from the industrial base that can actually build them. Menlo invests across that full stack: the motors and actuators that move every drone and robot, the uncrewed systems that fly, drive, and operate in contested environments, the space and air defenses that protect against incoming threats, and the software and intelligence that tie it all together.
Our Perspective
We believe the defining defense companies of this generation look like the best technology companies: software-defined, vertically integrated, and able to ship at scale. We partner with founders turning advances in AI, autonomy, and modern production into enduring companies that strengthen the world’s democracies.
Our Defense Companies
The founders we back are building the arsenal of the world’s democracies for a software-defined age. From the factory floor to geosynchronous orbit, our portfolio spans the full stack of modern defense, from the components that move every drone and robot to the systems that operate in the air, on land, at sea, and in space.
Dedrone is the international market and technology leader in the field of drone detection.
Milestones
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2014 – Founded
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2016 – Partnered, Series A
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2024 – Acquired by Axon
Partners
Heaviside Industries builds precise, affordable, and autonomous drones across air, land, and sea for U.S. and allied special operations and conventional forces.
Milestones
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2024 – Founded
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2026 – Partnered, Series A
Leadership
Phillip Walker
Founder & CEO
Partners
True Anomaly is a deep technology company developing advanced hardware and software systems to ensure the sustainable security of space.
Milestones
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2022 – Founded
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2023 – Partnered, Series B
Leadership
Even Rogers
Co-Founder & CEO
Tom Nichols
Co-Founder & CPO
Kyle Zakrzewski
Co-Founder & Chief Engineer
Partners
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