Hermeus Secures $350 Million in Series C Funding Led by Khosla Ventures

Hermeus, a defense aviation company specializing in high-Mach unmanned aircraft, has successfully completed a Series C financing round, raising $350 million. The funding, led by Khosla Ventures and supported by Canaan Partners, Founders Fund, RTX Ventures, Bling Capital, and In-Q-Tel, will enable Hermeus to transition from prototyping to delivering high-Mach platforms for national security missions.

New investors such as Cox Enterprises, Socium Ventures, Destiny Tech100, Georgia Tech Foundation, 137 Ventures, and GSBackers have also joined the round. In addition, debt capital has been provided by Silicon Valley Bank, Pinegrove Venture Partners, Hercules Capital, and Trinity Capital. With this financial backing, Hermeus plans to advance from prototyping to producing mission-ready, high-Mach aircraft, including the development of a fleet of three F-16 scale aircraft and the integration of customer payloads.

The company is set to establish a new headquarters in El Segundo, California, while transitioning its Atlanta facility to focus on production. The successful flight of Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 has positioned Hermeus for imminent supersonic flight, and the team is aiming to achieve Mach 3. Hermeus founder and CEO, AJ Piplica, expressed gratitude for the support of long-term partners and emphasized the significance of speed in the company's operations.

The funding will also propel Hermeus towards achieving a post-money valuation of $1 billion, solidifying its position in defense aviation. By prioritizing hardware iteration, Hermeus is dedicated to meeting the high-speed capabilities required by the Department of War and its allies. Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, highlighted the company's trajectory in addressing critical capability gaps, while Andrew Davis, Managing Partner of Socium Ventures, emphasized the importance of the Series C financing in marking a pivotal moment for Hermeus.

The financing comprises $200 million in equity and $150 million in debt, further accelerating Hermeus' path to becoming a leader in defense aviation.