120°W110°W100°W90°W80°W70°W25°N30°N35°N40°N45°N50°NDefense tech companies and startups in District of Columbia
6 District of Columbia-based defense and dual-use startups we track, working across Autonomy & AI, Cyber, Ground Robotics, Munitions and Sensors & Comms. Together they have disclosed $436M in funding, led by Covenant (>$250M). The newest round on record is Lumbra's Series A (Nov 2026).
Latest rounds
| Date | Company | Round | Amount | HQ | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | Lumbra | Series A | $25M | Washington, DC | Autonomy & AI |
| Sep 2026 | Covenant | Undisclosed rounds | $250M | Washington, DC | Munitions |
| Sep 2026 | Aslan | Seed | $20.8M | Washington, DC | Cyber |
| Jun 2026 | Shifters | Seed | $10.2M | Washington, DC | Ground Robotics |
| Mar 2026 | Rivet | Series A | $55M | Washington, DC | Sensors & Comms |
| Sep 2021 | Rebellion Defense | Series B | $150M | Washington, DC | Autonomy & AI |
All companies
Full directoryLumbra
Washington, District of ColumbiaBuilds LumbraOS, a model-neutral operating system that orchestrates auditable AI agents for analysts on classified Pentagon and intelligence networks.
Covenant
Washington, District of ColumbiaBuilds Anthem, a long-range heavy-payload ground-launched strike weapon, with a 105,000 sq ft factory in Grand Prairie, Texas and sites in Germany and Israel.
Aslan
Washington, District of ColumbiaBuilds human-supervised AI agents that operate undercover in online forums and messaging channels to support national security and law enforcement investigations.
Shifters
Washington, District of ColumbiaBuilds sensor-carrying quadruped robots and autonomy software for reconnaissance in difficult and dangerous terrain, with R&D near Tel Aviv.
Rivet
Washington, District of ColumbiaBuilds rugged heads-up display glasses, wearable computers and watches that fuse soldier, sensor and mission data into one operational picture.
Rebellion Defense
Washington, District of ColumbiaDevelops AI and software products for defense and national security missions, including cyber readiness and battlefield awareness tools.
Questions
How many defense tech startups are in District of Columbia?
We track 6 defense and dual-use startups headquartered in District of Columbia, as of November 14, 2026.
Which District of Columbia defense tech startup has raised the most?
Covenant, with >$250M in disclosed funding among the companies we track.