Startup raises US$200 million to create 'genetically enhanced' dogs for military use

San Francisco | Financial Times A Texas-based startup that promises to give the United States an edge on the battlefield by rebuilding the nation's roster of "military working dogs" has raised $200 million from investors including Sequoia Capital and Ark Invest.

Warhound, the brainchild of Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey and software entrepreneur Ben Lamm, will "produce genetically enhanced working dogs" on U.S. soil and equip them with advanced technology to ensure they have "situational awareness on the battlefield," the new company said.

Warhound was valued at US$1.2 billion in its fundraising round, including the new investment, according to a person familiar with the operation.

Lamm, who conceived the plan with Luckey 18 months ago, described it as a "Captain America program for dogs [that] also solves a real problem related to the welfare of these animals."

The eccentric startup has attracted interest from some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley and other financial centers, including Sequoia, Lux Capital, Franklin Templeton and In-Q-Tel, a venture capital firm created by the CIA that invests in early-stage technology companies with direct application to intelligence and national security operations.

Lamm's company, Colossal Biosciences, works in species preservation, animal cloning and "de-extinction," which it defines as "a practical application of advanced gene-editing technology aimed at reconstructing the DNA of extinct megafauna." The company claims to be in the process of promoting the "de-extinction of the woolly mammoth".

Its technology will be used to clone and genetically edit working dogs, in a move that Lamm says would improve performance and be more humane for the animals, many of which are currently unable to complete training.

"Our idea is: select the best dogs, store their material in a biobank and clone them... In addition to cloning the dogs, it would be possible to genetically edit them and increase their longevity and performance. This is healthier for the dog, the firefighter, the police officer or the combatant", said Lamm, who will join the company's board of directors.

Anduril, a maker of autonomous drones, submarines and other military vehicles — and one of the United States' best-known defense technology startups — will develop body armor and "cyber" systems to improve dogs' performance.

"Man's best friend deserves man's best technology," said Luckey, who will have no ownership stake in Warhound nor will he play any role in the day-to-day management of the company.

Warhound will be led by David Spirk, a former US Marine, the Pentagon's first chief data officer and former senior advisor at Palantir Technologies.

The company aims to boost the national supply of working dogs, the majority of which currently come from European breeders.

Spirk said, "Leading Warhound and strengthening America's capacity to employ working dogs is an opportunity to apply my experience to a mission I care deeply about: protecting people and helping the animals that support them."