Nominate
Defense Startup of the Year
Know a company that stood out? Put it forward.
Loading the awards…
← All awards
The defense startups that made the biggest impact in 2026
4Anduril
Autonomous defense systems for air, land, and sea, connected by Lattice software.
Castelion
Advanced American weapons, fielded at startup speed and scale.
1Aurelius Systems
Aurelius Systems builds AI-powered directed-energy laser defense platforms protecting troops, bases, and infrastructure from UAS drone thr
0Saronic
Autonomous ships and shipyards bringing software speed and scale to maritime defense.
0Shield AI
Autonomy for aircraft when GPS and comms disappear.
0ZeroMark
AI targeting for precise, networked counter-drone defense.
Awards are the opinion of the nominee and should not be perceived as a recommendation or endorsement of a16z.