Warhound

Defense Tech · Biotech · Genetic Engineering

Funding

Warhound raises $200M seed to clone and gene-edit war dogs at $1.2B valuation

The Pentagon sources most military working dogs from European breeders, where fewer than half of recruits pass training.

• Warhound emerged from stealth with a $200 million seed round led by Sequoia Capital, valuing the defense-biotech startup at $1.2 billion.
• The company was conceived by Colossal Biosciences CEO Ben Lamm and Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey, and is run by CEO David Spirk, a Marine Corps veteran and former Pentagon chief data officer.
• Warhound plans to clone and gene-edit top-performing Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd working dogs, targeting inherited issues like hip dysplasia, with first puppies expected in Q1 2027.
• Anduril will outfit the dogs with protective gear and its Eagle Eye situational-awareness system, though Anduril and Luckey hold no equity in Warhound.
• More than 80% of U.S. military working dogs are bought from European breeders, and the Pentagon must train roughly 200 dogs to field 100 that pass.
• Warhound is Colossal Biosciences' latest spinout, following Astromech, which reached a $3.8 billion valuation applying AI to biological systems.
• The deal signals investors betting that biotech cloning and defense-hardware integration can replace a shrinking, foreign-dependent supply chain for a niche but critical military asset.