Defense AI Startup Lands $32M
Smack Technologies, a frontier AI lab focused on U.S. national security applications, has raised $32 million. The funding underscores the growing synergy between venture capital and defense tech, a sector attracting significant investment for deep-tech solutions.
The Series A funding was co-led by Geodesic Capital and Costanoa Ventures, with Steve Cohen's Point72 Ventures having led the initial seed round. The list of backers also includes Felicis, First In, Scribble Ventures, and Bloomberg Beta, indicating a broad base of venture support for specialized defense applications. Smack was co-founded in 2024 by Andrew Markoff and Clint Alanis, two Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) veterans with more than two decades of combined combat experience. CEO Andrew Markoff also brings prior experience from data analytics giant Palantir Technologies. The El Segundo, CA-based startup is developing what it calls "domain-specific AI models" powered by deep reinforcement learning. Its goal is to provide "Decision Dominance" by drastically shortening the time for military planning and decision-making in conflict scenarios. Smack's technology is split into two main product suites: "Omega," a command-level AI stack for operations centers, and "Alpha," a lighter version for use on edge devices in the field. The company has already secured contracts with multiple branches of the U.S. military, including the Joint Fires Network and the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. This funding round occurs as the defense AI market is valued at nearly $14 billion in 2026 and is projected to grow to over $23 billion by 2030. The move positions Smack alongside other heavily funded defense tech startups like Anduril and Shield AI, though its focus remains specifically on reinforcement learning for strategic decision support.
