SEATTLE, Jan. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Overland AI, a technology company developing advanced autonomy for uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs), today announced a $32 million Series A funding round to accelerate the adoption of its ground capabilities for defense and national security.
The round was led by 8VC, with participation from Point72 Ventures, Overmatch Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Ascend, Osage University Partners, and Caprock.
A Ripsaw M5 tracked vehicle that weighs 12 tons running on Overland AI's autonomy stack, OverDrive, during an operational testing event.
Modern warfare has created an urgent challenge for protecting ground forces. As demonstrated in Ukraine, aerial systems and distributed sensors, as well as large numbers of UGVs that are poised for deployment, leave these ground forces increasingly exposed.
We are in a race to save soldiers' lives. The United States must accelerate its development of ground autonomy to operate in places that are more dangerous for humans.
Overland AI is addressing this critical need by integrating autonomy into ground vehicles to operate in contested and communications-denied environments. This capability is especially significant in the Indo-Pacific, where complex off-road terrain demands resilience and precision.
"Tactical operators require various autonomous capabilities for advanced mission planning,” said Byron Boots, co-founder and chief executive officer of Overland AI. "We build ground autonomy that enables one operator to coordinate multiple robotic vehicles with integrated payloads, all in off-road terrain and GPS-denied environments.”
Overland AI's autonomous solutions are being developed with critical defense engagements, including the DARPA RACER program, the Marine Corps' NMESIS program, and both the U.S. Army's RCV program and the Sandhills Project with the XVIII Airborne Corps.
"Overland AI has developed capabilities that give the U.S. a decisive advantage in ground autonomy and protect soldiers' lives,” said Joe Lonsdale, managing partner at 8VC. "They've rallied the top talent in the domain around the mission to transform land operations, revolutionize this area of warfare, and build one of the most important new American defense companies. We're honored to become a close partner.”
Overland AI has integrated its OverDrive autonomy stack into multiple ground vehicles to increase ground power for unit commanders. These vehicles include the Polaris RZR, the Textron Ripsaw M5, and the General Dynamics S-MET (Small Multipurpose Equipment Transport).
OverWatch, Overland AI's intuitive C2 interface, enables one operator to command fleets of vehicles powered by OverDrive. The vehicles execute coordinated tasks while the human focuses on threats and tactics, making every operator a force multiplier during complex missions.
Overland AI's intuitive C2 interface, OverWatch, equips unit operators with one-to-many coordination of ground vehicles for complex missions.
"We believe ground autonomy is positioned to drive significant impact in defense and national security,” said Chris Morales, partner at Point72 Ventures, which led Overland AI's seed round. "We are continually impressed by Overland AI's rigorous testing and commitment to delivering technology that keeps servicemembers safe.”
Overland AI continues to expand its physical footprint and product development, bolstered by the support of its investors. "Series A will meaningfully accelerate the adoption of our ground autonomy capability,” said Stephanie Bonk, co-founder and president of Overland AI. "We are investing in making our products simpler to use, quicker to field, and easier to integrate into broader national security operations.”
To learn more about Overland AI and see open roles, visit www.overland.ai.
About Overland AI
Founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Overland AI is powering ground operations for modern defense. The company leverages over a decade of advanced research in robotics and machine learning, as well as a field-test forward ethos, to deliver advanced autonomy for unit commanders. Hazardous missions in austere and electronically denied environments demand that this technology is reliable and resilient. Overland AI's autonomy kit and OverDrive stack enable ground vehicles to navigate off-road without GPS or direct operator control, while its OverWatch C2 provides commanders with precisely coordinated capabilities that are vital for complex missions to succeed. Overland AI is developing these capabilities and putting them into the hands of tactical operators today.
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