What Defense Unicorns does

Defense Unicorns is a privately held, veteran-owned U.S. defense software company (incorporated in Pennsylvania in 2022, operationally headquartered in Colorado Springs with a reported San Antonio presence) that sells an airgap-native software delivery platform — the Unified Defense Stack (UDS) — for delivering modern cloud-native and AI applications into classified, disconnected, and tactical edge environments across the U.S. Department of War. The platform is anchored by UDS Core, a hardened Kubernetes runtime that bundles identity (Keycloak), service mesh (Istio with STRICT mTLS), observability (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki, Vector), runtime security (Falco), backup (Velero), and a UDS Operator that exposes Package, Exemption, and ClusterConfig custom resources. On top of Core, the company sells UDS Platform, UDS Fleet (multi-cluster continuous delivery to tactical edge), UDS Enterprise (multi-cloud portability), UDS Army (Army-tailored release co-developed with the U.S. Army C5ISR Center), UDS CLI, UDS Registry, and UDS Portal, and publishes the foundational tools Zarf (airgap packaging) and Pepr (policy engine) as open-source projects on GitHub.

Defense Unicorns monetizes through multi-year Department of War and federal agency contracts procured via GSA IDIQ (with SBIR Phase III sole-source authority), SeaPort Next Generation, Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, P1 Solutions Marketplace, and AWS Marketplace, plus commercial subscriptions to UDS Platform, Fleet, Enterprise, and Army tiers (including a private FIPS-validated "unicorn" flavor), embedded Forward Deployed Engineering services, and subcontracted delivery through defense primes (BAE Systems, SAIC, Leidos). Customers include the U.S. Air Force (including the F-22 Raptor rapid-software-update demonstration with the Air Force Sustainment Center Software Directorate), the Army C5ISR Center, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Space Force, and the Department of War as a whole. The company has raised approximately $171 million across three disclosed rounds — a $35M Series A (Sapphire Ventures and Ansa Capital, March 2024) and a $136M Series B (Bain Capital Tech Opportunities lead, January 2026) — reaching a $1 billion-plus valuation.

Name

Defense Unicorns

Legal name

Defense Unicorns, Inc.

Website

https://defenseunicorns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Defense Unicorns is a veteran-owned U.S. defense software company that sells the Unified Defense Stack (UDS), an airgap-native Kubernetes platform for securely packaging, delivering, and updating cloud-native and AI software across classified, disconnected, and tactical edge environments for the U.S. Department of War.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Software Delivery Platform

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Kubernetes & Container Security (KSPM/KCSPM, Runtime) (HDADADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Deployment, Automation & DevOps (build pipelines, contract deployment tools) (FSAPABAH), Application Security & DevSecOps Services (BPAKAHAJ), AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)

Keywords

• Airgap software delivery
• Defense software platform
• Military devsecops
• Secure kubernetes platform
• Classified environment software

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. U.S. federal government contracts: Multi-year Department of War and federal agency software and services contracts procured through vehicles such as the GSA IDIQ (SBIR Phase III sole-source), SeaPort Next Generation (SeaPort NxG), Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, P1 Solutions Marketplace, and AWS Marketplace. Includes a $300 million DOD-wide contract for software and GenAI solutions and a $15 million Space Force contract.
2. Commercial software subscriptions for UDS Platform, Fleet, and Enterprise: Recurring and contract-based software subscriptions for the proprietary tiers of the Unified Defense Stack (UDS Platform, UDS Fleet, UDS Enterprise), including the FIPS-validated 'unicorn' flavor reserved for Defense Unicorns customers with support agreements.
3. Forward Deployed Engineering and Compliance Automation services: Embedded engineering services where Defense Unicorns engineers build, deploy, and adapt customer mission software, plus automation of security controls and compliance evidence for ATO processes.
4. Defense prime and system integrator subcontracting: Software and services delivered through partnerships with defense primes and SIs such as BAE Systems, SAIC, and Leidos (e.g., a U.S. Navy contract awarded jointly with Leidos to test software container prototypes).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Defense Unicorns builds and sells the Unified Defense Stack (UDS), a secure, portable, airgap-native software delivery platform for Kubernetes workloads in classified, on-premises, and tactical edge environments. UDS packages container images, manifests, and dependencies into a single artifact (via Zarf) so cloud-native software can be installed and updated in fully disconnected environments, and ships with identity (Keycloak), service mesh (Istio), runtime security (Falco), observability (Prometheus/Grafana/Loki), backup (Velero), and a policy engine (Pepr) baseline. The company sells this to U.S. Department of War customers alongside Forward Deployed Engineering and Compliance Automation services that accelerate Authority to Operate (ATO) timelines.

Product overview

Defense Unicorns sells a platform-plus-modules product portfolio built around UDS Core, a hardened Kubernetes runtime layered with secure-by-default identity, networking, observability, and policy components. UDS Core is extended by UDS Fleet (multi-cluster continuous delivery), UDS Enterprise (multi-cloud portability), UDS Operator (Kubernetes control plane via Custom Resources), UDS Registry (artifact storage), and UDS Portal (end-user gateway), and is wrapped for specific buyers as UDS Army. Developers interact via the UDS CLI and Defense Unicorns' open-source projects Zarf (packaging for air-gapped environments) and Pepr (Kubernetes policy engine). Together these products let defense and government customers package, secure, ship, and continuously update software across cloud, on-prem, and tactical environments at the edge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unified Defense Stack (UDS): Core software delivery platform built for National Security missions, providing a secure, portable, airgap-native way to package, deliver, and run software across cloud, on-premises, and tactical edge environments.
• UDS Fleet
• UDS Enterprise
• UDS Army
• UDS Core
• Zarf
• Pepr

Products and services

• UDS Platform The core Defense Unicorns software-delivery platform that packages, secures, deploys, and operates mission-critical applications in denied, disconnected, and tactical environments across cloud and edge. Bundles Zarf airgap packaging, Pepr policy engine, Keycloak SSO, Istio mTLS, Falco runtime security, Prometheus/Grafana, Loki, Velero, and the UDS Operator for U.S. Department of War and federal customers.
• UDS Fleet Multi-cluster continuous-delivery add-on on top of UDS Core that orchestrates UDS packages across many Kubernetes clusters and accelerates deployment of updates, features, and security patches enterprise-wide for tactical and distributed environments. Comprises UDS Fleet Connect (Android app and browser interface for mission operators) and UDS Fleet Command (fleet-wide observability dashboard).
• UDS Enterprise Enterprise-grade extension providing multi-cloud portability for UDS, enabling consistent deployment across Azure, AWS GovCloud, on-prem, and airgapped environments.
• UDS Army Army-tailored release of the UDS Platform aligned to U.S. Army mission needs, developed jointly with the Army C5ISR Center to accelerate the secure delivery of mission-critical software to soldiers by reducing the ATO timeline from 12-18 months to as little as two weeks.
• Zarf Defense Unicorns' open-source tool for declaratively packaging, distributing, and deploying software into air-gapped, denied, and disconnected environments; the open-source airgap foundation underlying UDS Core.
• Pepr Defense Unicorns' open-source Kubernetes policy engine used inside UDS Core to enforce transformation, validation, and mutation of resources at admission time.
• Forward Deployed Engineering Embedded engineering service where Defense Unicorns engineers build, deploy, and adapt customer mission software inside U.S. Department of War and federal customer environments.
• Compliance Automation Service that automates security controls and compliance evidence for Authority to Operate (ATO) processes, aligned with NIST 800-53, DISA STIG, and FedRAMP controls.
• Software Factory Solution for government customers to stand up a secure, compliant software factory in days using the UDS platform.
• Army Authorization Fast-Track Accelerated path to authorize and deploy software for U.S. Army and industry customers by reducing the Authority to Operate (ATO) timeline from 12-18 months to as little as two weeks via UDS Army.
• Portable DevSecOps Solution for industry customers to package software once and deploy anywhere using UDS to scale mission reach across airgapped, on-prem, and cloud environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces U.S. Army ATO timeline from 12-18 months to as little as two weeks
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Spire Motorsports and Michael McDowellminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 April 2026Defense Unicorns partnered with Spire Motorsports and NASCAR driver Michael McDowell for activities at Naval Base Coronado, primarily a brand/marketing partnership tied to defense community engagement.
• LeidosflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2026The U.S. Navy awarded Leidos and Defense Unicorns a joint contract to test software container prototypes aimed at modernizing software updates on ships, enabling remote software management and reducing the need for physical disks.
• U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center Software DirectorateflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Collaborated with Defense Unicorns on the F-22 Raptor rapid software update demonstration at Edwards AFB, which installed and upgraded software in minutes directly on the aircraft, with a modular design enabling integration of commercial and government software.
• U.S. Army C5ISR CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026Joint development of UDS Army, a platform that accelerates secure delivery of mission-critical software to soldiers by reducing the ATO timeline from 12-18 months to as little as two weeks; multiple software vendors are onboarding to the platform.
• David Petraeus (former CIA Director)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026Participated in the $136M Series B round as a 'national security leader' alongside Bain Capital, providing strategic validation and capital for Defense Unicorns' expansion of airgap software delivery to the U.S. military and allied forces.
• Oracle (Oracle Defense Ecosystem)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2025Selected as a member of the second cohort of the Oracle Defense Ecosystem, a global initiative that accelerates innovation and enhances capabilities within the defense sector across the US and allied nations, supporting secure communications, AI situational awareness, autonomous systems, and cyber resilience.
• BAE SystemsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed partner of Defense Unicorns alongside SAIC among defense primes. Customers and partners include all major U.S. military branches and partnerships with defense primes BAE Systems and SAIC, supporting UDS deployment into larger defense programs.
• SAICflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamed partner of Defense Unicorns alongside BAE Systems among defense primes. Customers and partners include all major U.S. military branches and partnerships with defense primes BAE Systems and SAIC.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationUDS is listed on the AWS Marketplace, and Defense Unicorns collaborates with AWS to rapidly deliver scalable and secure cloud infrastructure for mission-critical applications to the Department of War across any environment (cloud, on-prem, airgapped).
• U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)coreOthersGSA issued an IDIQ to Defense Unicorns that may accept task order awards from the Department of War, DHS, and CISA; under SBIR Phase III authority, this vehicle can be used as a sole-source vehicle for Defense Unicorns' capabilities.
• U.S. Department of the Navy (SeaPort NextGen)coreOthersDefense Unicorns may be procured on the Department of the Navy's SeaPort Next Generation (SeaPort NxG) contract vehicle, providing government partners a streamlined path to acquire Defense Unicorns' mission-focused software and services.
• Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace (Department of War)minorOthersUDS is assessed as 'awardable' through Tradewinds, a digital repository of post-competition, readily awardable pitch videos addressing the Department of War's AI/ML, data, and analytics challenges.
• P1 Solutions Marketplace (Platform One)minorOthersUDS is assessed as 'awardable' through the P1 Solutions Marketplace, a digital repository of post-competition, readily-awardable pitch videos addressing government hardware, software, and service solutions.
• Iron Bank / DoD Platform One (Registry One)coreTechnology or IntegrationUDS Core publishes a 'registry1' flavor whose container images are sourced from Iron Bank / Registry One (DoD hardened images), enabling STIG-hardened, CVE-scanned deployments in DoD environments.
• Keycloak (open-source identity provider)coreTechnology or IntegrationKeycloak is the central identity provider inside UDS Core, providing SSO and group-based authorization; the UDS Operator automatically creates Keycloak OIDC clients for deployed applications.
• Istio (service mesh)coreTechnology or IntegrationIstio is the service mesh backbone of UDS Core, providing STRICT mTLS, ingress gateways, AuthorizationPolicy, and traffic management for all in-cluster workloads.
• Falco (CNCF runtime security)coreTechnology or IntegrationFalco (with Falcosidekick) provides runtime threat detection inside UDS Core, monitoring system calls, file access, and network activity on running containers.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anduril Industries: U.S. venture-backed defense technology unicorn building software-forward defense products (Lattice, autonomous systems) for the Department of War. Closely comparable in stage, customer base, and software-defined defense thesis; both are software-led companies chasing DoD program-of-record status.
• Shield AI: Venture-backed defense AI and autonomy company with deep U.S. military relationships and software-forward product (Hivemind). Comparable as a venture-stage defense-tech peer selling software and AI into DoD tactical programs, with similar reliance on DoD adoption velocity.
• BigBear.ai: Public defense-focused AI and decision-intelligence company selling into U.S. Army, Air Force, and intelligence customers. Comparable in mission focus (defense AI/analytics), customer set, and dependence on federal procurement, though BigBear.ai is more mature and publicly listed.

Broad incumbents

• Palantir Technologies: Public, large-cap software and AI platform serving U.S. defense, intelligence, and federal civilian agencies. Overlaps with Defense Unicorns on DoD software/GenAI delivery and government contract vehicles, but at much greater scale and with a broader data/analytics portfolio rather than airgap-native delivery.
• Leidos: Top-five U.S. defense prime and IT integrator with deep Navy and DoD relationships, including the recent joint Navy contract with Defense Unicorns. A simultaneous channel partner and a strategic competitor — Leidos could embed or replicate UDS-like capabilities inside broader program contracts.
• Booz Allen Hamilton: Large incumbent defense and federal IT consultancy with extensive DoD software-factory and DevSecOps delivery practices. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing for the same software-delivery-to-DoD budgets, though focused on services rather than a proprietary platform.
• Red Hat (IBM): Enterprise Kubernetes and open-source platform vendor whose OpenShift and Ansible Automation Platform are widely used across DoD. Closely comparable at the underlying Kubernetes-and-open-source layer that UDS builds on, with a much larger installed base but less airgap-native specialization.
• C3.ai: Enterprise and defense AI application platform with U.S. Air Force and DoD deployments. Comparable as an AI-for-defense peer competing for similar GenAI-at-the-tactical-edge programs, though C3.ai addresses a broader enterprise customer base beyond defense.

Emerging players

• Platform One (U.S. DoD): U.S. Air Force-run DoD software factory and container-hardening program (Big Bang, Iron Bank, P1 Solutions Marketplace) that publishes hardened container images and 'awardable' software solutions directly to DoD program offices — the most direct government-run competitor to UDS.
• SUSE (Rancher): Enterprise Kubernetes management vendor (Rancher, NeuVector) with security and airgap-relevant offerings. Comparable at the Kubernetes management and security layer that UDS bundles, with stronger enterprise footprint but less DoD-specific positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/defenseunicorns
• GitHubgithub.com/defenseunicorns
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defense-unicorns

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Defense Unicorns