Benchmark Makes First Pure Defense Bet With $25M For Missile Startup

Venture firm Benchmark has made what TechCrunch described as its first investment in a pure defense company, leading a $25 million seed round in Furientis, a Los Angeles startup trying to turn out interceptor missiles in volume. TechCrunch reported the news on October 6, 2026, citing a person familiar with the company who put the valuation at $125 million.

Furientis is about a year old and has already won a funded Pentagon contract for mid-range interceptors, according to the report. The round follows a $5 million pre-seed disclosed in May 2026. Benchmark general partner Chetan Puttagunta said the team built prototypes and completed roughly a dozen launches on that initial money, calling the result "nothing short of remarkable."

Co-founder Brody Franzen, previously deputy chief engineer at Virgin Galactic and later at hypersonic startup Castelion, told TechCrunch the U.S. Navy takes delivery of only 300 to 500 interceptors a year while China claims monthly output of 3,000 anti-ship cruise missiles. Co-founder Aris Simsarian ran rocket engine testing at Virgin Orbit.

Rather than match top-end performance, the company designs around off-the-shelf parts to cut unit cost, tests at White Sands, New Mexico, and aims for 1,000 units per factory annually. Anduril, Castelion and Shield AI are pursuing similar work.

This story was first reported by TechCrunch.