Ares Industries, the first defense startup backed by Y Combinator, was launched earlier this week.
In a post on its YC website, the startup outlined its vision to build a low-cost cruise missile that is compatible with existing launch platforms, saying: [Department of Defense] They want a form factor that is 10 times smaller and 10 times cheaper.”
Ares Industries' founders say they have been testing prototypes in the Mojave Desert and expect to deliver a working missile system to their first customer in mid-2025.
YC partner Jared Friedman told the Financial Times that the incubator began encouraging applications from defense tech startups earlier this year.
YC CEO Garry Tan was an early employee at Palantir, a data analytics company that has achieved huge success through its sometimes controversial work with the US military and other governments and agencies. CEO Alex Karp defended the company's “consistent pro-Western perspective” in a recent interview with The New York Times.