What happened
Defense Unicorns, a San Antonio-based defense technology startup, closed a $136 million Series B funding round that pushed its valuation past $1 billion, granting it unicorn status. The round was led by Bain Capital’s Tech Opportunities platform and included participation from Ansa Capital, Sapphire Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, AVP, Uncorrelated Ventures, and former CIA Director David H. Petraeus. The company plans to scale its secure software delivery platform designed for disconnected (“air-gapped”) military systems.
Who is affected
The investment and technology focus primarily impact U.S. and allied military organizations operating mission-critical systems on submarines, ships, aircraft, and forward bases where internet access is unavailable or restricted. Defense Unicorns’ products (including Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS), UDS Registry, and UDS Army) aim to modernize how mission software is deployed and sustained across cloud, edge, and offline environments. Founded by Dr. Rob Slaughter (CEO), Jeff McCoy, and Andrew Greene, the company’s tools are already in use by branches such as the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and Space Force.
Why CISOs should care
- Secure software supply chains are increasingly a national security priority, especially for systems isolated from standard networks. Defense Unicorns’ platform introduces hardened registries and deployment workflows tailored for these environments.
- CISOs in defense and critical infrastructure sectors are grappling with the challenge of updating and sustaining software without compromising security; solutions that support air-gapped deployment and secure DevSecOps pipelines are relevant to broader enterprise risk strategies.
- The involvement of national security leaders and large institutional investors signals market confidence in cybersecurity approaches that balance mission assurance with modern software practices.
3 practical actions
- Assess Air-Gap Risks: Review your organization’s offline or isolated systems and identify gaps in current software delivery and patching procedures.
- Adopt Hardened Registries: Evaluate secure software registries and supply chain tools that support integrity and trust in disconnected or high-assurance environments.
- Integrate DevSecOps for Mission Critical Workloads: Build or strengthen DevSecOps practices that can be extended to constrained environments, ensuring rapid yet secure deployment pathways.