“Man’s best friend deserves man’s best tech.”
That’s what Palmer Luckey said about his new startup, Warhound. The Anduril cofounder, along with Colossal Biosciences cofounder Ben Lamm, raised $200 million in seed funding for the startup that aims to genetically engineer high-performance military dogs.
Warhound said in a Thursday press release that it wants to rebuild the US’s supply of working dogs for military forces, law enforcement, and emergency first-response teams.
It added that most of the military dogs currently working in the US are acquired from Europe, and many are eventually deemed unfit for service.
Colossal Biosciences is a biotechnology company that uses gene-editing tools to protect endangered species and revive extinct ones. It will help produce healthier dogs suited to demanding missions, with Lamm telling TechCrunch that this involves enhancing the dogs’ speed, agility, and ability to sniff out bombs.
Anduril’s contribution to Warhound is the external hardware to keep the dogs and their handlers safe, such as eye and ear protection.
Warhound’s $200 million seed round was backed by several VC firms, including In-Q-Tel, Sequoia Capital, ARK Invest, and Franklin Templeton.
Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, said in the release, “Palmer, Ben and the Warhound team are exceptional. Sequoia is proud to back them.”
Warhound will be led by CEO David Spirk, a senior counselor at Palantir and a veteran of the US Marine Corps. He was also a former data officer for the Department of War.
The startup, based in Texas, has made commitments to animal welfare, saying in the release that it’s certified by the American Humane Society, the US’s first national animal welfare organization.
It said that improving the health and training success of the dogs will limit the number who enter unnecessary intensive training and enable safer missions.
