Hidden Level closes $65M Series C round
An artist's rendering of how Hidden Layer's software works to detect and identify drones. Courtesy of Hidden Layer.
By
Ross Wilkers
The seven-year-old company counts Booz Allen Hamilton's venture arm and Washington Harbour Partners as investors that are staying involved.
Hidden Level, a maker of sensing technology for detecting and locating drones, has captured $65 million in Series C capital to further expand its manufacturing capacity and staff.
This round closes approximately six months after Hidden Level completed a Series B raise that collected approximately $35 million in investments, adding up to $100 million in external capital fetched over the past 12 months.
DFJ Growth led the Series C round announced Monday. Other participants included Booz Allen Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Revolution Growth, Costanoa Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Veteran Ventures and Founders Circle Capital.
Founded in 2018, Hidden Level designs its passive radar and radio frequency direction-finding software to help national security and critical infrastructure operators monitor airspace.
Hidden Level lists low-altitude drones, high-altitude aircraft and balloons as examples of aerial activity the company’s tech can help users watch out for.
"Critical infrastructure is the backbone of our nation's security," Jeff Cole, co-founder and CEO of Hidden Level, said in a release. "Today's evolving threats demand comprehensive airspace monitoring, from low-altitude drones to high-altitude aircraft and everything in between. With this new funding, we are poised to expand our impact, enhancing defense capabilities and supporting public safety, critical infrastructure, and emerging commercial needs."
The company is on-contract this year to support deployments for military organizations such as the Army, Air Force, Africa Command, Central Command, Indo-Pacific Command and Northern Command. NASA has also used Hidden Layer’s technology, which was also in use during the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Trump.
Booz Allen Ventures, the government services company’s venture capital investment arm, first backed Hidden Layer in early 2023 with an eye toward helping the latter further scale up the tech offering for adoption by federal agencies.
Washington Harbour Partners is the same investment firm that backs government technology companies such as Groundswell, SixGen and Raft. Booz Allen Ventures and WHP also participated in the Series B round.
In 2021, Hidden Level closed a $17.6 million Series A round that saw Lockheed Martin’s VC organization continue its involvement. Lockheed Martin Ventures’ first investment in Hidden Level closed in the fall of 2020.