Warhound, a Texas-based company that wants to supply the US military with genetically improved working dogs, came out of stealth on 22 October 2026 with $200m in funding. The company presented the money as launch funding, and its release described it as a seed round.
The release listed In-Q-Tel, Sequoia Capital, ARK Invest, Franklin Templeton, 8VC, USIT, Bob Nelsen, Breyer Capital, CAZ Investments, Neogenesis, Builders VC and Lux Capital among the investors. It did not name a lead. GamesBeat reported that Sequoia led the round, with partner Shaun Maguire heading the investment.
Warhound did not disclose a valuation. TechCrunch reported that the round valued the company at $1.2bn; GamesBeat said no valuation was given.
“Palmer, Ben and the Warhound team are exceptional. Sequoia is proud to back them.”Shaun Maguire, Partner, Sequoia Capital
What Warhound plans to do
The company was conceived by Ben Lamm, chief executive of the de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences, and Palmer Luckey, founder of the defence contractor Anduril, according to the release. It said the idea came out of a conversation at Peter Diamandis' Moonshots Summit. Accounts of Luckey's role differ: TechCrunch described him as a founder and partner who holds no equity, while Lamm told GamesBeat that Luckey is not a co-founder and does not sit on the board, although the company grew out of their discussions.
Warhound's chief executive is David Spirk, a former Marine Corps intelligence specialist who was a senior counselor at Palantir and the first chief data officer for the Department of War and for US Special Operations Command.
The company plans to cover the full life of a working dog, from genetics, cloning and biobanking to training and care. TechCrunch reported that the team has collected and stored cell lines from Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds, the breeds most used in this work, and plans to use gene editing to remove traits linked to poor eyesight, cancer, hip dysplasia and muscle atrophy. Viagen, a cloning company owned by Colossal, will clone the dogs. According to TechCrunch, none of the dogs exists yet: the first batch was about to be cloned, with births expected early in 2027 and service ideally within two years.
Why it says the military needs it
The release said the Department of War's working dog program has more than 2,200 dog teams and that over 80% of its dogs come from Europe. It also said fewer than half of the dogs bought for the program are judged fit for service. GamesBeat reported that the pipeline from purchase to deployment takes about three years, so roughly 200 dogs must be sourced to field 100, and that Lamm put the washout rate at about 50% and as high as 90%.
Lamm told TechCrunch the goal is dogs with better health, longevity, speed, agility and sense of smell. He told GamesBeat that he sees the project as an animal welfare effort as much as a supply chain one. TechCrunch reported that likely buyers include the Department of Defense, police forces and first responders, and that pricing has not been set.
The partners behind it
Colossal licenses its genetics, cloning and animal biology technology to Warhound and holds equity in the company, according to TechCrunch and GamesBeat. GamesBeat reported that Lamm sits on the board.
Anduril is a technology partner and not a shareholder, GamesBeat reported. It will provide body armour, eye and ear protection, software and its Eagle Eye system, which lets a handler see what the dog sees. Lamm told TechCrunch the equipment will sit on top of the dog, not inside it.
The American Humane Society will certify the training programs and help reunite retired dogs with their handlers or place them for adoption, the release said. Maguire said in the release that Sequoia was proud to back the team.
Company website: warhound.com