Auterion Secures $130 Million Series B to Scale AI-Enabled Software for Commercial Hardware in Defense

Auterion, developer of the connected operating system to enable the next significant evolution in computing, led by Lorenz Meier, Rob Rainhart, Markus Achtelik, Marisa Lightfoot, and others, has raised $130 million led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from existing investor Lakestar, which led Auterion’s first institutional round (and has invested in every round since), as well as existing investors Mosaic Ventures and Costanoa Ventures. Out of the $130M round, $25M is backed by the US Department of War (non-dilutive capital backed by the Office of Strategic Capital of the Department of War and provided by Rochefort).

The $130M raise reflects investor confidence in Auterion’s AI-enabled software to transform the battlefield by scaling commercial, low-cost hardware. It underscores Auterion’s pioneering leadership in delivering advanced defense software to the U.S. and allied nations. Auterion’s Series B will accelerate its mission to “build swarms, not individual drones,” scaling the AuterionOS platform and Nemyx system to enable coordinated drone operations across air, land, and sea. Bessemer Partner Alex Ferrara will join Auterion’s board as part of the round.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has forced the allied defense industry from artisanal hardware to wartime-scale production. Future combatants will gain an advantage by combining AI with commercial technology to deploy drone swarms at scale. Lower costs have accelerated this transition, and Auterion, an open-platform software leader, has already enabled deployments in Ukraine.

Auterion has evolved from open-platform autopilots to the operating system for autonomous mass operations. AuterionOS unifies fleets from multiple manufacturers, allowing one operator to control many autonomous vehicles simultaneously.

The all-in-one Skynode X integrates autopilot and mission computing, adding AI autonomy, secure communications, and edge computing to any drone. Battle-proven, it enables vehicles to lock onto targets and complete missions even under GPS or video jamming.

Auterion’s technology is deployed in Ukraine, powering autonomous drone operations in active combat. Under a Pentagon contract, it is delivering tens of thousands of AI “strike kits” to Ukrainian forces, the largest Western deployment of autonomous technology to date.

Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with engineering hubs in Zurich and Munich, Auterion also maintains personnel in Kyiv supporting Ukrainian defense efforts.

Auterion’s open architecture avoids single-vendor lock-in, enabling interoperability across multiple manufacturers and platforms. This approach has drawn partnerships with major defense contractors, including Rheinmetall, Lockheed Martin, and aerospace firms across the U.S., Europe, and allied nations.

Auterion aims to make advanced autonomy accessible and affordable. Its Skynode systems deliver defense-grade performance at consumer-electronics prices, allowing even smaller nations and organizations to deploy capable autonomous fleets.