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Founded in 2024 by Tyler Xuan Saltsman and Colton Malkerson, EdgeRunner AI develops generative artificial intelligence systems that operate on edge devices without requiring internet connectivity. Based in Seattle, the company compresses large models to run efficiently on standard hardware like Intel chips, enabling secure, air-gapped decision-making for military and enterprise applications. Operating with 21 employees, the startup has raised more than 17 million dollars in total funding, including a recent 12 million dollar Series A round led by Madrona alongside HP Tech Ventures. The organization generates revenue through government contracts and research agreements, serving major defense sector clients like the United States Air Force Research Laboratory and the Department of Defense. Recently named to the CB Insights AI 100 list, the vendor continues to expand its secure software partnerships across national guard units and commercial enterprise users.
EdgeRunner AI has raised $18.0M across 2 funding rounds.
EdgeRunner AI has raised $18.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
EdgeRunner AI has raised $18.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
EdgeRunner AI's investors include Madrona Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Dig Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Four Rivers Group, Independent, Index Ventures, Intel Capital, Mango Capital, Motivate Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Outrun Ventures.
EdgeRunner AI has raised $18.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $12.0M Series A in April 2025.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2025 | $12M Series A | Madrona Venture Group | Alumni Ventures, DIG Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Four Rivers Group, Independent, Index Ventures, Intel Capital, Mango Capital, Motivate Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Outrun Ventures, Propeller VC, Saga, SOSV, Vitalize Venture Group, Augusto Marietti, Kevin Zuber, Rudra Peram, Scott Belsky, Bascom Ventures, Hewlett Packard Ventures | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2024 | $6M Seed | Four Rivers Group | DIG Ventures, Independent, Index Ventures, Mango Capital, Motivate Ventures, Outrun Ventures, Propeller VC, Vitalize Venture Group, Augusto Marietti, Kevin Zuber, Rudra Peram, Scott Belsky, Madrona Venture Group | Announced |
EdgeRunner AI is a Seattle-based startup founded in 2024 that develops on-device, air-gapped generative AI agents optimized for edge deployment, prioritizing data privacy, zero latency, and cost efficiency by running locally without internet or cloud dependency.[1][2][3][6] The company builds domain-specific Small Language Models (SLMs) and agents tailored for military roles like logistics and maintenance, transforming unstructured data into interactive intelligence via natural language, while serving defense, intelligence, manufacturing, public sector, and even commercial clients like movie studios.[1][2][3][4][5] It solves critical problems in disconnected environments, such as real-time decision-making for warfighters, operational efficiency, and secure data handling, evidenced by a $5.5M seed followed by a $12M Series A in 2025, partnerships with the Air Force Research Laboratory, National Guards, and DoD vendor status, plus recognition on CB Insights’ AI 100.[3]
With 21 employees and backing from VCs like Madrona Ventures, HP Tech Ventures, Four Rivers, and Alumni Ventures, EdgeRunner demonstrates strong growth momentum through R&D deals, military contracts, and expansion hints beyond defense.[1][3][4]
EdgeRunner AI was founded in 2024 by CEO Tyler Xuan Saltsman and COO Colton Malkerson, who met at Stability AI—Tyler as head of supercompute after eight years as a U.S. Army officer and logistician running supply missions (e.g., Operation Atlantic Resolve), and Colton with a Stanford MBA, experience at AWS, Stability AI enterprise sales, and high-level U.S. Congress roles.[1][3][4][6] Tyler's frontline military experience highlighted gaps in disconnected tech for troops, while Colton's government and sales background complemented it, sparking the idea for offline, military-doctrine-trained AI during their Stability AI tenure amid the Stable Diffusion boom.[4]
Early traction came swiftly: post-seed funding, they secured an Air Force Research Lab R&D agreement, DoD "Awardable" status, National Guard pilots, a Second Front partnership, Intel Vision feature, and CB Insights AI 100 nod, building on their team's expertise from Amazon, Google, Boeing, and U.S. Air Force.[1][3]
EdgeRunner rides the edge AI trend, addressing surging demand for sovereign, disconnected intelligence amid rising data privacy regulations, geopolitical tensions, and latency-sensitive ops where cloud AI fails (e.g., behind enemy lines).[2][3][4] Timing is ideal post-2023 AI boom, as militaries and enterprises reject vendor-locked frontier models for "Micro Sovereign AI"—culturally/doctrinally tuned, on-prem systems amid U.S. pushes for domestic tech resilience.[2][3]
Market forces like DoD modernization, manufacturing digitization, and offline enterprise needs favor it, with EdgeRunner influencing the ecosystem via open-source roots, VC validation, and partnerships that standardize edge GenAI for high-stakes sectors, potentially accelerating "J.A.R.V.I.S.-like" assistants across devices.[1][3][4]
EdgeRunner is poised to dominate military edge AI with expanding DoD integrations and tech refinements for broader enterprise/manufacturing rollout, leveraging its $17.5M+ funding for scale.[3] Trends like model compression, agentic workflows, and sovereign AI will propel it, evolving from warfighter tools to ubiquitous on-device companions—starting with those who can't afford failure.[3][4] This positions EdgeRunner to redefine secure GenAI, ensuring transformative tech stays under user control in an increasingly disconnected world.[1]
