Loading organizations...
§ Private Profile · Oxnard, USA
Empowering teams to mobilize uncrewed vehicles in challenging environments.
Swarm Aero has raised $35.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Swarm Aero.
Swarm Aero has raised $35.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Swarm Aero develops large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarms for complex operations. Its core product involves autonomous uncrewed vehicles designed for collaborative missions in communications-limited and contested environments. These systems prioritize mission-level autonomy and advanced sensing, offering extended reach and persistent operational presence.
Co-founded by Danny Goodman, Oliver Palmer, and Peter Kalogiannis, Swarm Aero emerged from an insight into evolving air power needs. Goodman, previously co-founder and CTO of Vannevar Labs, contributed significant technical product development expertise. The founders established the company to empower small teams with thousands of uncrewed vehicles and collaborative autonomy.
Swarm Aero serves defense and aerospace, providing advanced aerial reconnaissance and flexibility in challenging conditions. Their technology offers users broad area coverage and persistent observation through distributed assets. The company's vision is to redefine air power with efficient, collaborative UAV swarms, enhancing national security and strategic capabilities.
Swarm Aero has raised $35.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $35.0M Series A in March 2026.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2026 | $35M Series A | Silent Ventures, TWO Sigma Ventures | Alumni Ventures, Coatue, Construct Capital, Founders Fund, Friends & Family Capital, Khosla Ventures, MAC Venture Capital, Scribble Ventures | Announced |
Swarm Aero is a defense technology startup founded in 2022 that develops swarming uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed for communications-limited and contested environments, enabling small teams to deploy thousands of air, sea, and ground assets for missions like payload delivery and overwhelming enemy defenses.[1][2] The company builds the first UAV optimized for swarming, featuring sensor mesh, edge compute, on-aircraft autonomy, and a browser-based UI that translates user intent into real-time vehicle behaviors.[1] Targeting the U.S. Armed Forces and allies, particularly for Pacific Theater needs, Swarm Aero solves critical defense challenges by leveraging AI and autonomy to provide scalable, life-saving capabilities in dynamic settings.[2] Growth momentum includes seed funding in August 2024 from investors like Coatue, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, and Construct Capital to expand team, technology, and production; selection of Northwest Arkansas for a high-volume manufacturing center; and Department of Defense (DoD) collaborations via SBIR awards.[2][3][6]
Swarm Aero was founded in 2022 by a team with deep expertise in aerospace, defense, AI, and autonomy, drawing from experience at Scaled Composites, SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Airbus, Archer, and others.[2][6][7] CEO Danny Goodman, previously Co-Founder and CTO of Vannevar Labs (where he developed the Decrypt product, securing $50M+ in contracts), held roles as VP of Platform at MetaMind (acquired by Salesforce) and Director of Data Science at MetroMile.[1][7] COO Oliver Palmer advised the Secretary of Defense as OSD China Director and Taiwan team lead, negotiating $1.8B in arms sales and shaping asymmetric defense strategies with $10B/year investments; he also scaled Voleon Group, an AI hedge fund with over $5B AUM.[1][7] Chief Engineer Peter Kalogiannis brings 20+ years in aircraft design, including Scaled Composites work on Eclipse 500, Proteus, SpaceShipTwo, and Airbus Vahana eVTOL.[7] The idea emerged to address U.S. military needs in the Pacific, with early traction from DoD engagements, prior billion-dollar contracts, and rapid site selection for manufacturing in Arkansas after a nationwide search.[2]
Swarm Aero rides the autonomous swarming trend in defense tech, addressing great-power competition in the Pacific where traditional manned systems falter in denied environments.[2] Timing aligns with U.S. DoD priorities for affordable, scalable UAS amid rising threats, amplified by AI advances in edge autonomy and multi-domain operations.[1][6] Market forces like high production needs, asymmetric warfare demands, and investor interest in dual-use UAVs (e.g., inspections, response) favor Swarm, especially with its DoD ties and manufacturing push.[2][3] It influences the ecosystem by redefining air power—shifting from single assets to overwhelming swarms—potentially accelerating adoption of mesh networks and AI-driven tactics across military and commercial sectors.[1][4][5]
Swarm Aero is poised to scale into the world's largest UAV swarm network, with seed funding fueling team growth, product acceleration, and Arkansas factory ramp-up for high-rate production.[3][2] Key trends like AI autonomy, contested logistics, and Pacific deterrence will propel it, potentially securing major DoD contracts and expanding to allies or civilian uses.[1][2] Its influence may evolve from niche innovator to ecosystem shaper, enabling "swarming revolutions" that overwhelm defenses and redefine small-team operations—tying back to its core mission of mobilizing thousands to conquer with efficiency.[1][4]
Swarm Aero has raised $35.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Swarm Aero's investors include Silent Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Coatue, Construct Capital, Founders Fund, Friends & Family Capital, Khosla Ventures, MaC Venture Capital, Scribble Ventures.
Key people at Swarm Aero.
