20 Things You Didn’t Know About Anduril Industries
Anduril Industries is a pioneering company that specializes in the development and production of life-saving and defense products across a broad scope of industries. This business has not been in operation very long but it has grown dramatically in a short period of time and it has become a leader in the AI industry with a wide range of specialties within that sphere. If you have not yet heard of Anduril Industries, don’t feel bad because it’s been in operation for only a little over two years, but here are 20 things you didn’t know about the company to help you become more familiar with its purpose and benefits.
1. Anduril Industries was founded in 2017
Anduril was established by five co-founders. They are Palmer Luckey, Trae Stephens, Brian Schimpf, Matt Grimm, and Joseph Chen. The company is headquartered in the greater Los Angeles area of California. As Anduril enters its third year of operation it does so as one of the most successful tech startups in the United States.
2. Anduril Industries is good for America
Anduril was created to provide some of the most necessary products and services known. National defense is one of the top priorities of the firm. American national security is a complex challenge and Anduril is committed to solving some of the most complicated problems within this arena through next-generation technology that aims to provide a national defense as well as the protection of troops in the field.
3. The firm falls under multiple categories
Anduril Industries works with several different technologies and is classified under several different industries with the main classification being Artificial Intelligence. Products developed also involve sensor technology, virtual reality, robotics, computer vision, and aerospace-related products. The life-saving technology is AI-based and it is used for fighting wildfires, performing search and rescue missions, protecting American military troops, and a lot more. The goal of Anduril is to develop advanced technologies that are on the cutting edge for protecting America’s status as a global leader.
4. Anduril is an early-stage funding firm
Anduril Industries has been the recipient of venture capital funding from just two rounds since its inception. The first round of Series A funding closed on June 11, 2019, led by the Founders Fund firm, raising $41 million. The second was a round of Series B funding which closed on September 11, 2019. Four investors back Anduril Industries with venture capital including Human Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund and Anorak Ventures.
5. All five of the co-founders are a part of the executive leadership team
There are a total of six team members on the executive leadership team for Anduril Industries. Five of the six occupy executive positions within the company. Brian Schimpf is the CEO, Matt Grimm is the COO and the other three maintain executive privilege as a founder. Katherine Bovie is also recognized as a part of the executive team. She is an investor and general catalyst. Marc Berte is the one board member for Anduril.
6. Anduril is on a fast track
Anduril is currently experiencing a phase of rapid growth. It’s not often that a company that has been in existence for just two years rises to the top as we’ve seen with Andril delivers customized products with speed and precision in areas where the needs represent life and death situations. The stakes are high and Anduril has risen to the occasion.
7. The operations of Anduril Industries are diverse
There is no one single thing that Anduril Industries does when it comes to the products that it creates through advanced technology. This is likely to remain the case as the company moves forward. The aim of the tech crew is to perpetually remain on a mission to solve national security challenges to enhance security and defense. Anduril Industries develops from a concept of customized technologies with new products in defense that are changing the world around us. The components are custom engineered for each client contracting the services. The firm provides services in a variety of places throughout the world.
8. Anduril makes a range of products
Anduril produces everything from hardware for consumers to national security software. Technologies are also used to create autonomous vehicles, watercraft, and sensor platforms. Virtual reality is also a technology that is used in the creation of its AI products. This is one of the reasons why the company must maintain a fleet of diverse workers, some of who specialize in certain technologies and crafts, and others who are jacks of all trades. The workforce for Anduril Industries is as diverse as the products and services that it creates and produces. This makes it a novelty in the business world.
9. Anduril makes massive AI security systems
Leaders at Anduril recently gave reporters a look at some of the projects that they’ve been involved in first-hand. It was a field test for surveillance defense systems for the United States military as well as for other agencies. Through the use of sensors, this cutting-edge technology can track a person who is walking wherever he or she goes into a specific location. There are motion detectors in use and cameras that can find and follow an unauthorized person who slips into a building or certain area and it doesn’t require much effort on the part of humans to accomplish these tasks because it is a networked system that relies on computer-vision algorithms to determine what the object is that the camera is looking at. Just one technician is needed to operate this massive detect and follow system.
10. Anduril is good for Border Patrol
In recent years there have been a lot of problems with US border security. There have also been multiple instances of Border Patrol officers and even local citizens near the border being hurt and killed. With the latest security systems in place, there is the possibility to monitor miles of borderlands, detecting and following intruders and alerting officials to the placement of those that are illegally crossing borders.
11. Anduril Industries saves lives
After reviewing just a few of the technologies that Anduril Industries creates it is not difficult to see how the technology saves lives. It alerts personnel to the whereabouts of the enemy or any other kind of threat to enhance their knowledge of what may be coming towards them. This provides key personnel with a system of advanced warning and lessens the chances for a surprise attack happening.
12. The systems are intensely detailed
Anduril’s intruder detection systems do much more than to spot and track an individual. It is also embedded with special technologies that determine if the individual is authorized to be in a specific area as well as if he or she is carrying a weapon. This is known as the Lattice system and it has multiple capacities.
13. Anduril’s products are useful in multiple environments
The technologies and systems that Anduril manufactures and distributes have implications for use all over the world. Currently, these systems are still under development and it is believed that there are plans to use them in urban environments, in battlefields, and in multiple different environments for the enhancement of security. There are implications for military use as well as for civilian security needs.
14. Some of Anduril’s clients are confidential
When asked about the types of clients that Anduril currently serves, the answers were straightforward. Some of them include multiple branches of the United States government with contracts already signed and in place. The leaders were upfront about the fact that the company will not release a complete list of the companies, agencies, and organizations that they receive work orders from, or are engaged in contracted work for. Still, Anduril confirmed that they are involved with dozens of government agencies, Homeland security being among them.
15. One of the primary founders is in his twenties but is already an accomplished entrepreneur
Palmer Luckey is one of the predominant founders of Anduril. He is in his mid-twenties. Prior to founding Anduril, he established the well-known and successful Oculus, which is a virtual reality company. After establishing the company and getting it off the ground, it was sold to Facebook. He has a lot of ideas to contribute to the products created by Anduril and is an integral part of the team of engineers who provide solutions for national security issues.
16. Anduril is tied to Trump supporters
We also learned that Luckey is a known political supporter of President Donald Trump. When he first formed Anduril he called upon engineers to join him who were both “dedicated, and patriotic.” The company was first little more than a website when it was first developed. The company retains a “MAGA-friendly ideology and Luckey himself reportedly made large donations to businesses and organizations that were Trump-friendly. He also met with cabinet officials from Trump.
17. Anduril Industries reached unicorn in less than 3 years
Anduril Industries is one of the fastest-growing new startup businesses in the world today. The company was just launched in 2017 and already it has achieved unicorn status. This classification is reserved for businesses that have a valuation of $1 billion or more. So far, there are approximately 122 employees working for Anduril Industries in its late growth stage of development. This is a venture capital-backed company that raised $17 million in seed money to get the company off the ground in January of 2017. In May of 2018, a round of Series A funding led by Founders Fund yielded $41 million and the most recent round of Series B funding was led by Andreessen Horowitz, Oculus, and CNBC investors resulting in an undisclosed amount.
18. Anduril’s testing phase was impressive
Anduril Industries conducted a series of tests on Lattice in the state of Texas. The firm set up Sentry towers and communications antennae, cameras with laser enhancement and radar in a strip with a radius of two miles. The artificial intelligence-powered system was successful in its initial run and in a report that was completed by the US Customs adn Border Protection agency, thanks to the system that was in place for a ten week test period, there were a total of 55 unauthorized border crossovers detected.
19. Anduril may provide Trump’s border wall
The Lattice system for detection, identification and a detailed reading about intruders has the potential to cover hundreds of miles of surveillance protection. While it may not offer a physical wall it does provide a virtual form of protection that provides alerts for border patrol staff. Could this be the solution to the failed bid to build a physical wall? There are quite a few at Anduril who believe that this may well be the case.
20. Anduril Industries is still private
Although the news has been abuzz with rumors about a potential IPO for Anduril Industries, as of this time, the company still remains privately owned. Although it is now classified as a unicorn company, it has not yet made the move to go public and sell its common shares publicly on the stock exchange. According to Crunchbase.com, it has raised just $41 million in venture capital funding with a total of four investors but there is a lot about Anduril that has not yet been disclosed. This is a fairly secretive venture, but considering the main thrust of the products and their intended use for national defense protection, it makes sense that much of the work cannot be openly discussed. Investors are eying Anduril Industries and monitoring the news for more information about IPO filing because this is a company that is likely to bring in a host of buyers if and when stock does become available. Until that time, we’ll just have to continue to listen for any updates.
