Castelion, Integer and Trusted Space detail their newest venture raises
J Studios / DigitalVision via Getty Images
By
Ross Wilkers
The core tech areas for these startups cover hypersonic strike weapons, autonomous systems for the maritime domain and using artificial intelligence to manage satellite operations.
Castelion
This three-year-old designer of hypersonic strike systems has captured $350 million in Series B capital from investors to position itself for high-volume production of those weapons for the U.S. military.
Castelion is pushing to have its Blackbeard weapon integrated with Army and Navy platforms, build a new 1,000-acre production and final assembly facility called Project Ranger, and achieve multi-service platform testing in 2026.
Hypersonics is a key element of the Defense Department’s technology agenda, given how China and Russia have prioritized those weapons as well. In addition to the Army and Navy, Castelion has booked several research-and-development contracts from the Air Force Research Laboratory.
Altimeter Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners led the Series B round with participation from Lavrock Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, First In, Space VC, Cantos, BlueYard, Avenir, Champion Hill and Interlagos.
“Blackbeard helps close America’s hypersonic capability gap against China and Russia,” Castelion co-founder and chief executive Bryon Hargis said in a release. “This funding lets us build fast, test often, and produce at volumes that matter in the real world.”
Hargis is one of several former SpaceX engineers that started Castelion in 2022. In January 2025, the company closed a $100 million financing round that included $70 million in Series B capital and $30 million in venture debt from Silicon Valley Bank.
Series B contributors included Lightspeed Venture Partners, Lavrock Ventures, a16z, Cantos, First In, BlueYard Capital and Interlagos.
Integer Technologies
This four-year-old defense technology outfit now has the backing of Razor’s Edge, a venture investment firm focused on the intersection of commercial tech and national security.
Duke Hartman and Josh Knight, respectively CEO and chief operating officer, founded Integer to develop autonomy and cybersecurity tech for the maritime domain.
Integer touts its tech portfolio as including artificial intelligence, robotic and unmanned systems, sensors and perception, power and energy systems, advanced manufacturing, and cyber-physical systems.
Integer said it will use the new investment to further scale its offerings from the research-and-development phase to more of a mission-ready posture.
“When Josh and I started this company, our goal was to transition cutting-edge research from university labs and other innovation centers into reliable technology for our national security customers, to give them an unfair advantage as they work to keep our country safe,” Hartman said in a release. “This investment from Razor’s Edge is a validation of this work and will accelerate our software development efforts.”
Razor Edge’s backings in the government market include Altamira, BlackSea Technologies, Black Ve, Dark Wolf Solutions, Expedition Technology, HawkEye 360, mPower Technology, Ursa, Veros Technologies and X-Bow Systems.
Trusted Space
This six-year-old specialist in mission engineering and analysis tech now has the backing of Washington Harbour Partners, another private investment firm focused on national security tech.
Trusted Space gears its tech offerings for managing satellite operations through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. Battle management, space domain awareness, space exploration and mission data processing are key focus areas for Trusted Space.
With this investment, Trusted Space plans to accelerate its research-and-development efforts in areas of increasing demand for software that can act as the backbone for command-and-control of satellites.
"Rapidly evolving advanced technologies are transforming space into a dynamic operational theater,” Trusted Space co-founder and president Bob MacMillan said in a release.
MacMillan will continue to lead Trusted Space alongside the other co-founders, all of whom continue to be significant shareholders in the company.
Washington Harbour also sees Trusted Space as a vehicle for further investments in software activities related to space architecture. This is Washington Harbour’s newest foray into space technology following its backing of Turon Space and leadership of an $18 million Series A round for Quindar.
Washington Harbour Partners was advised by Morrison Foerster on legal matters and PwC on financial. Rees Broome acted as the legal adviser to Trusted Space.