Overland AI Secures $100 Million Series B to Accelerate Deployment of Autonomous Military Vehicles

Seattle-based defense technology company Overland AI has successfully closed a $100 million Series B funding round, marking a significant milestone in the operationalization of autonomous systems for the U.S. military. The investment, led by venture capital firm 8VC, underscores the growing strategic imperative to integrate advanced robotics and artificial intelligence into ground combat operations. This fresh capital brings Overland AI’s total funding to over $140 million, positioning the company to rapidly scale the production and deployment of its flagship ULTRA autonomous tactical vehicles.

The round attracted a robust coalition of investors, reflecting high confidence in Overland AI’s proprietary technology stack. Alongside 8VC, existing backers Point72 Ventures, Ascend, Shasta Ventures, and Overmatch Ventures reaffirmed their support. New strategic partners Valor Equity Partners, StepStone Group, and TriplePoint Capital also joined the syndicate, providing the financial runway necessary to meet surging demand from multiple branches of the armed forces.

Scaling Autonomous Systems for Modern Warfare

The primary objective of this substantial capital injection is to transition Overland AI’s technology from the experimental phase to widespread operational integration. The company has identified a critical shift in defense requirements: the U.S. military is no longer merely testing autonomous capabilities but is actively seeking to deploy them in the field to enhance soldier survivability and mission efficacy.

Stephanie Bonk, co-founder and president of Overland AI, highlighted this pivotal moment in a statement regarding the funding. She noted that the demand for ground autonomy has moved decisively toward operational integration. The $100 million investment will allow the company to scale its manufacturing capabilities and engineering resources to align with the adoption schedules of major military units.

This scaling effort centers on the ULTRA, a purpose-built autonomous tactical vehicle designed to navigate complex, off-road environments without human intervention. Unlike traditional autonomous solutions that rely heavily on structured infrastructure or reliable GPS signals, the ULTRA platform is engineered to perform in "GPS-denied" environments—a crucial capability for modern electronic warfare scenarios where jamming and spoofing are prevalent.

The ULTRA Platform: Engineering for the Edge

Overland AI’s core differentiator lies in its software capability, often referred to as the "brain" of the vehicle. The technology enables a single human operator to command multiple robotic vehicles simultaneously, effectively acting as a force multiplier. This capability is essential for the U.S. Army's modernization strategy, which envisions human-machine teaming as a cornerstone of future combat formations.

The ULTRA vehicle is designed to handle the most dangerous tasks on the battlefield, thereby removing human soldiers from immediate harm. Specific use cases include "breaching missions," where forces must navigate through minefields, wire obstacles, or enemy barriers to create a safe passage for follow-on troops. By assigning these high-risk objectives to autonomous systems, commanders can preserve human combat power while maintaining operational tempo.

Technologically, the platform boasts significant advancements in perception and path planning. It can traverse rugged terrain—ranging from dense forests to desert scrub—at tactically relevant speeds. This performance was validated through Overland AI's participation in the DARPA RACER (Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency) program. After three years of rigorous testing and iteration, the company completed the program in November 2025, demonstrating the platform's maturity and resilience in unstructured environments.

Strategic Partnerships and Operational Footprint

Overland AI has already established a deep integration with the U.S. defense apparatus. The company is actively collaborating with the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). Specific units currently utilizing or testing the technology include the 82nd Airborne Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 173rd Airborne Brigade, the 36th Engineer Brigade, and the 2nd Marine Logistics Group.

These partnerships are not limited to research and development; they involve active field exercises and pilot programs. For instance, the company recently secured a $2 million contract with the U.S. Army, further cementing its role as a trusted defense contractor. The feedback loop from these active duty units allows Overland AI to rapidly iterate on its software and hardware, ensuring the final product meets the nuanced demands of soldiers on the ground.

Beyond strictly military applications, Overland AI is demonstrating the dual-use potential of its technology. In January 2026, the company announced a partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). This collaboration involves the use of self-driving four-wheelers for wildfire response logistics. During tests at Camp Pendleton, these vehicles successfully delivered food, water, and batteries to firefighters, proving that the autonomy stack is versatile enough to support humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

Investment Overview and Company Trajectory

The Series B round represents a major vote of confidence from the venture capital community, particularly in the defense tech sector which has seen increased interest due to geopolitical tensions. 8VC, known for its investments in logistics and deep tech, sees Overland AI as a category leader in off-road autonomy.

Funding Round Details

The company’s growth trajectory has been steep. Originally spinning out of the University of Washington’s Robot Learning Laboratory in 2022, Overland AI has grown from a small team of researchers to a workforce of over 100 employees. To support this expansion, the startup opened a 22,000-square-foot production facility in Seattle in 2025. This facility serves as the hub for manufacturing the ULTRA vehicles and developing the underlying software architecture.

Leadership and Academic Roots

Overland AI retains strong ties to the academic and research communities. CEO Byron Boots is not only a tech executive but also the Amazon Professor of Machine Learning at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. His dual role ensures that the company remains at the cutting edge of robotics research, leveraging the latest breakthroughs in machine learning and computer vision.

This academic foundation is complemented by practical business leadership. Co-founder Stephanie Bonk brings the operational and strategic focus required to navigate the complex landscape of government contracting and defense procurement. Together, the leadership team has successfully bridged the "valley of death"—the notorious gap between developing a prototype and securing a government program of record.

Future Outlook for Defense Autonomy

The success of Overland AI is indicative of a broader trend in defense technology: the shift towards software-defined hardware. As modern warfare becomes increasingly digitized, the ability to deploy autonomous assets that can operate without GPS and with minimal human supervision provides a distinct strategic advantage.

The Department of Defense (DoD) continues to prioritize the "Replicator" initiative and other autonomy-focused programs aimed at fielding thousands of autonomous systems. Overland AI’s progress suggests that the industry is ready to meet this challenge. The ability to retrofit existing vehicles with autonomy kits, combined with purpose-built platforms like ULTRA, offers the military a flexible portfolio of options for future conflicts.

With $100 million in fresh capital, Overland AI is well-positioned to dominate the ground autonomy sector. The focus for the coming year will likely be on delivering units to the Army and Marine Corps, expanding the production capacity of the Seattle facility, and further refining the AI behaviors that allow these vehicles to operate intelligently in the chaos of combat. As these systems enter the field, they promise to fundamentally reshape the tactics and logistics of ground warfare, keeping human soldiers safer while extending the reach of military operations.