2. Anduril Industries

Original source (on modern site) | Article images: [1]

Founders: Brian Schimpf (CEO), Palmer Luckey, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, Joe Chen

Launched: 2017

Headquarters: Costa Mesa, California

Funding: $2.3 billion (PitchBook)

Valuation: $10 billion (PitchBook)

Key technologies: Artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, cloud computing, digital twins, edge computing, explainable AI, machine learning, robotics, software-defined security

Industry: Defense

Previous appearances on Disruptor 50 List: 2 (No. 7 in 2023)

As the U.S. military modernizes and new aerial threats have defined recent wars, defense technology company Anduril Industries is getting ahead with a tech-smart, Silicon Valley approach in selling to the Pentagon, recently introducing several new AI-powered drones, and supplying Ukraine.

Anduril has emerged as a disruptor to traditional contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman and a competitor to several defense unicorns such as Shield AI and Epirus. The three-time Disruptor 50 winner was co-founded by Palmer Luckey, who also founded Oculus VR, which was sold to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014, and former Palantir top engineer Brian Schimpf.

The company is getting ahead in the defense sector by proactively financing its own research and product development, and then making sales — a departure from the standard military contract-and-then-build process.  

Loaded with venture capital funding from major investors Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund and General Catalyst, Anduril is on a fast track. The company is gaining contracts with competitive pricing and new technologies.

Last year, Anduril launched several new drones that rely on its Lattice AI-powered command and control software used by the U.S. military and allies to direct human-assisted robotics systems to perform complex missions.

More coverage of the 2024 CNBC Disruptor 50

The disruptor also debuted Roadrunner, an AI-controlled, jet-powered combat drone that is going after the kinds of threats that increasingly strike at U.S. and allied troops. Roadrunner is designed to launch vertically, fly at higher speeds, and maneuver aggressively to track and destroy the target.

Adding to this lineup, the defense tech company recently released Ghost-X, an upgraded version of its unmanned, autonomous Ghost system that can carry heavier payloads and fly for longer periods of time than the previous version. Anduril also launched Anvil-M, a rugged and transportable drone kit that can intercept and destroy smaller unmanned aircraft systems.

Gearing up throughout last year, Anduril opened a new 190,000-square-foot research and development facility at its Contra Mesa, California, headquarters. The company also completed two acquisitions: Blue Force Technologies, a maker of large, high-performance aircraft, and rocket motor supplier Adranos. The deals helped to increase its footprint to Mississippi, Indiana, and North Carolina, and grow employee headcount by 1,000 to 2,400.

Sign up for our weekly, original newsletter that goes beyond the annual Disruptor 50 list, offering a closer look at list-making companies and their innovative founders.