Arkeus announced it has raised $18 million in Series A funding to expand its AI-powered sensing systems designed for autonomous platforms operating in contested military environments. The funding round was led by QIC Ventures, with participation from new investors R+VC, Folklore Ventures, and DYNE Ventures. Existing investors Main Sequence Ventures, Salus Ventures, and Beaten Zone also participated in the round.
The company said the capital will be used to accelerate global expansion and scale manufacturing operations across the United States, Australia, and Europe. Arkeus develops AI-powered sensing and perception systems intended to serve as the “eyes and brains” for autonomous defense platforms.
According to the company, its technology is already deployed with the U.S. Department of War and the Australian Department of Defence. The company’s sensing systems are also integrated with drone and aerospace manufacturers including AeroVironment, Textron, Tekever, and Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing.
Arkeus said it has secured multiple defense contracts for its flagship Hyperspectral Optical Radar platform, which the company describes as a world-first ISR capability designed for autonomous-enabled operations. The company added that its AI-powered hyperspectral sensors were selected following competitive evaluations against incumbent technologies, with Arkeus claiming its sensing systems demonstrated the ability to detect targets up to eight times farther than existing optical systems in degraded visual environments.
The company’s hardware-enabled software platform combines advanced sensing technology with onboard AI processing to provide real-time situational awareness at the edge. Arkeus said its systems can detect, classify, and track objects across multiple domains during both day and night operations, including in degraded or contested environments where traditional sensing systems face limitations.
Founded in 2020, Arkeus was established by CEO Simon Olsen and CTO Dr Jonathan Nebauer. Olsen previously held leadership roles at Sentient Vision Systems and has more than 15 years of experience across defense, autonomy, and ISR systems. Nebauer is an aerospace engineer and optical sensing specialist with expertise in autonomous software and hardware systems.
KEY QUOTES:
“Machines can’t act autonomously if they can’t truly perceive their environment. In the moments that matter most, systems are still flying blind. Data is collected but not understood in time to act. That’s the problem we set out to solve.”
“The next generation of autonomy isn’t limited by platforms; it’s limited by perception. Decision-making is moving closer to the edge, and that requires a completely different approach to sensing and autonomy.”
Simon Olsen, CEO and Co-Founder, Arkeus
