Furientis secures $25M Benchmark funding to build cheap missile interceptors at scale

Furientis, a Los Angeles-based defense technology startup, has raised $25 million in seed funding led by Benchmark to scale production of low-cost missile interceptors, the company announced Monday alongside its first funded government contract.

Funding Details

The round was led by Benchmark, with General Partner Chetan Puttagunta joining the board. This follows a $5 million pre-seed round in May 2026 led by Silent Ventures, bringing total funding to $30 million. The company's post-money valuation is estimated at approximately $125 million. Furientis will use the funds to expand manufacturing capabilities, increase flight test operations, and scale its team at its Los Angeles facility.

The Pentagon

Contract Furientis also announced its first funded government contract: a prototyping Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the Department of War. The award funds development of a 100-mile-range interceptor vehicle intended for homeland defense.

The Problem Furientis Is Solving The company was founded in 2025 by Brody Franzen, former Deputy Chief Engineer at Virgin Galactic, and Aris Simsarian, former Manager of Rocket Engine Test at Virgin Orbit. Their mission stems from a stark assessment of U.S. munitions production capacity. During the 2024 Red Sea crisis, the U.S. Navy used more than 200 interceptor missiles to defend ships against Iranian-backed threats. Franzen noted the cost imbalance: using $4 million missiles to intercept $40,000 drones, with only around 200 interceptors delivered annually. "We are being out-produced by a factor of more than 100," Franzen said. The U.S. Navy receives approximately 300 to 500 interceptors annually, while China reportedly produces up to 3,000 anti-ship cruise missiles per month.

Manufacturing-First Design

Furientis inverts the traditional defense development model. Rather than spending years on design before flying prototypes, the company tests prototypes biweekly. Every design decision is weighed against two questions: can this part be manufactured at 1,000 units per year per factory, and can final assembly be completed in under an hour? The company uses commercial off-the-shelf components where possible and builds solid rocket motors and seekers in-house to achieve high production rates and low unit costs. The target is 1,000 systems per year per factory, rather than the few hundred typical of legacy programs.

Traction and Partnerships

In just over a year of operations, Furientis has conducted 21 vehicle tests and opened a propellant manufacturing facility. The company was selected as one of five finalists in the Naval Postgraduate School's Tactical Missile Innovation Challenge, alongside Anduril and Kratos, and has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NPS. "Furientis is building truly remarkable technology with the aim of creating a platform that can scale rapidly with the lowest cost in the world," said Puttagunta.