Warhound, a new defense technology company conceived by American technology entrepreneurs — Colossal Biosciences’ Ben Lamm and Anduril’s Palmer Luckey — has raised a $200 million seed round.
Warhound will rebuild America’s domestic supply of elite working dogs for U.S. military forces, law-enforcement, emergency first response teams—a critical national security resource that the U.S. has long relied on foreign countries to provide.
Lamm, CEO of Colossal Biosciences, is on the board of Warhound and his company contributed its tech to the venture, while Luckey came up with the idea in conversation with Lamm. But Anduril is not part of the venture.
Led by CEO David Spirk, Warhound will reduce dependence on a shrinking European supply chain and strengthen America’s ability to protect its own people, infrastructure, and national security interests, the company said.
This kind of concept is sure to be controversial. It could conjure images of robo-dogs or using animals as engineered weapons. It’s also likely to be considered inhumane treatment of dogs if they’re to be used for combat. With so many wars happening, the idea of Terminator Dogs isn’t so far-fetched. But it’s quite possible that if these companies don’t create this blend of animals and technology, potential adversaries might very well do it.
Lamm said in an interview that this is why the venture has employed the help of the American Humane Society. Based in Texas, Warhound will operate under the guidance of the American Humane Society which will certify its training programs and support the reunification of retired military working dogs with their former handlers and adoption protocols. In addition, it’s worth nothing that dogs are already used for risky police and military operations.
“Man’s best friend deserves man’s best tech,” said Luckey, in a statement.
Warhound is modernizing America’s working-dog program by delivering a vertically integrated program, combining Colossal’s enhanced genetics platform and secure biobanking capabilities of America’s top-performing dog arsenal, controlled delivery through cloning with best-in-class training and animal care, the companies said.
Through a partnership, all dogs will be equipped by Anduril’s advanced cybernetic Augments, software, and battlefield situational awareness. The company is backed by In-Q-Tel, Sequoia Capital, ARK Invest, Franklin Templeton, Bob Nelsen, Breyer Capital, CAZ Investments, USIT, Neogenesis, Builders VC, and Lux Capital among others.
Warhound is bringing together Colossal’s breakthroughs in genetics, cloning, and animal biology with Anduril’s advanced defense technology to fundamentally change how America produces, trains, and protects its military working dogs. Colossal’s science will help produce healthier dogs with characteristics suited to demanding missions, while Anduril’s technology will give dogs and their handlers greater awareness and protection in the field.
“Every day, we ask dogs to put their lives on the line to protect ours. They detect explosives, protect our troops, and run toward dangers that most people are trained to run away from,” said Lamm, in a statetment. “Yet we’re still relying on outdated approaches to breeding and training these extraordinary animals, with too many never making it through the process. We have an opportunity to fundamentally change that.”
Lamm added, “Colossal has spent years pioneering breakthroughs in genetics, cloning, and animal biology, and now we’re applying that science to give these dogs the best possible chance at a long, healthy life and a successful mission. If we’re going to ask man’s best friend to protect America, we owe it to them to use every tool at our disposal to protect them, too.”
Since the Army established the K-9 Corps in 1942, military working dogs have served alongside America’s armed forces for more than 84 years—detecting threats, protecting service members and supporting missions worldwide.
That program has evolved in The United States Department of War’s (DOW) Military Working Dog Program, which currently includes 2,200+ working dog teams that are operationally critical for detection and patrol work, and a critical part of the defense infrastructure of the country.
More than 80% of U.S. military working dogs are currently acquired from Europe, creating a critical interdependency on foreign nations for an asset the Pentagon itself calls irreplaceable. That dependency is compounding: after a rigorous, roughly three-year acquisition-and-training pipeline, less than half of the dogs procured are ultimately deemed fit for service, meaning the U.S. must source and train roughly 200 dogs today to field 100 working animals tomorrow.
Addressing ethical issues as well as the “supply chain” for war hounds
I asked Lamm if he knew this concept is likely to generate controversy, and if it’s going to conjure those images of robo dogs or Terminator dogs or using animals for war. He didn’t think so for a variety of reasons.
“Let me paint a picture for you because I think it’s important. Right now, the U.S. firefighters, first responders, our law enforcement, our military — they go overseas and buy dogs. And there’s a short supply of dogs,” Lamm said. “A lot of the top dogs have been picked over, and so there’s like genetic bottleneck and inbreeding happening with the dogs internationally. And we compete with our enemies and our adversaries for those dogs.”
Lastly, he said that in this training scenario, about 50% of the dogs washout, meaning 50% of those dogs don’t go to training or don’t make it in training, and they either get adopted, kenneled, or euthanized. That washout can be as high as 90%. That’s not good for the dogs, he said. With this method of breeding dogs with the right genetics, you can control supply and those dogs will also perform better at the expected tasks, he said.
He said the advanced genetics can also make the dogs healthier and they will protect their human partners better.
“All of that tech then gets applied to our dogs, which is awesome. Then, when you can layer on next-gen technology like what Anduril will, in terms of protecting the dogs,” he said.
That means the dogs can have integration with Anduril’s tech such as body armor and Eagle Eye, which is a way to share what a soldier sees through goggles that can transmit video back to commanders. Those things aren’t built into the dogs; they go on top of the dogs.
If you just think of Captain America dogs, that sounds kind of scary, but if you understand the issues, this is an animal welfare play as much as it is a supply chain play,” Lamm said.
Of course, there are very different uses for the dogs, such as emergency rescue, service, or police protection dogs. I noted the use of dogs in combat is something else. But Lamm said workings dogs are already filling all of those roles now, such as Homeland Security’s bomb-sniffing dogs in airports and German Shepherds protecting people at events.
I noted that these arguments may seem sound now, but if we go down this road and develop these living weapons now, our adversaries will do the same and we could very well wind up in a Terminator scenario that spirals and eliminates humans as a species.
“Just to be clear, I don’t know if our adversaries are cloning dogs” or doing the same, he said. “I don’t know if our adversaries are thinking about animal welfare and how to prevent fewer dogs from washing out. I think some of our adversaries don’t care about them. I think some of our adversaries will just say, ‘We’ll go through as many dogs as it takes to get the top dogs.'”
So he said the company is not doing this because the adversaries are doing it. Rather, it’s because it addresses massive animal welfare and washout program as it relates to the working dogs today, and there’s a supply chain issue that’s controlled by Europe.
“I think some of our adversaries will go through as many dogs as it takes because they don’t have that as a priority. And I think the difference between America and some of our adversaries is our is some of our moral decisions. We’re not enhancing dogs because our adversaries we’re enhancing dogs to make the dogs healthy.”
The American Humane Society already has a program to integrate working dogs back into a population with families in order to help dogs. The society is on board to validate that part of the program and look out for animal welfare, Lamm said.
The company’s background
Regarding Luckey’s involvement, Lamm said, “This is something that both Palmer and I really believe should exist. But because Anduril works with a lot of partners in security and defense, Anduril doesn’t own equity in this. It’s just a partnership in terms of them developing technologies and collaborating.”
He said Colossal licensed some of its technologies and it owns equity in the business, and Lamm himself is on the board while Luckey is not.In that respect, Luckey is not a cofounder. However, the company was born from the conversations that Lamm and Luckey had, starting a while ago. The company has been in the works for a year and a half.
Lamm noted that Spirk has a lot of experience in defense, most recently at Palantir. Spirk was an adviser to Colossal and Lamm has talked to Spirk about this for years.
Spirk has been named the CEO of Warhound. As a veteran of the U.S. In the Marine Corps, he worked as an intelligence specialist with multiple deployments and served as the Chief of Operations for the Cuba and Venezuela Mission Manager within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
He has an extensive background in the U.S. military, intelligence community, and federal data governance, specifically focused on scaling algorithmic warfare and data strategies. More recently, he was a Senior Counselor at Palantir Technologies where he focused on expanding the company’s software footprints across the U.S. government, allied international partners, and commercial sectors. Previously, he was appointed the First Chief Data Officer (CDO) for the Department of War, where he worked on accelerating the military’s data-driven capabilities and was the First CDO for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).
“Our long-term goal is simple: healthier dogs, better-prepared teams, and more service members and first responders coming home safely. Leading Warhound, and strengthening America’s working-dog capabilities, is an opportunity to apply my experience to a mission I care deeply about: protecting people and helping the animals who support them,” said Spirk, in a statement. “My focus is building a team that can turn scientific advances into capabilities that work in the field.”
“Palmer, Ben and the Warhound team are exceptional. Sequoia is proud to back them,” said Shaun Maguire, partner at Sequoia Capital who led the round, in a statement.
Building Healthier, More Capable Working Dogs to Protect Both Dogs and People
The concept of Warhound was conceived years ago by Luckey and Lamm after a discussion at Peter Diamandis’ Moonshots Summit. Military working-dog programs face a costly challenge: more than half of candidate dogs fail to complete training, while reliance on overseas breeders leaves the United States dependent on a constrained foreign supply chain. Warhound was created to improve that system—producing fewer dogs with a greater likelihood of remaining healthy, completing training, and succeeding in their missions.
Warhound dog-and-handler teams will also connect Anduril’s integrated capabilities—including eye and ear protection and Eagle Eye technology—will help safeguard working dogs, their handlers and the wider unit while supporting safer, more effective missions.
“Advances in biotechnology bring both opportunity and responsibility,” said Alta Charo, professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, in a statement. “What I find promising about Warhound is the opportunity to improve working dogs’ health and welfare while supporting their lifesaving work. As a bioethicist, my role is to help ensure that scientific ambition is matched by careful ethical review, meaningful oversight, and a lifelong commitment to the animals’ well-being. With the support of the American Humane Society and their history with the military working dog reunification as well as pups for patriots, Warhound has a strong foundation and a program worthy of public trust.”
The companies said animal welfare is central to the program. By improving health, durability, and training success, Warhound will significantly reduce washouts, limit the number of dogs unnecessarily entering intensive training and enable safer, more effective missions. Technologies and therapeutics developed through the program will also be made available to all dogs and ultimately improve the health of all dogs, not only those serving alongside America’s service men and women. Together, these capabilities will establish a secure domestic supply of military working dogs while giving American service members healthier, more capable canine partners.
“Working dogs are extraordinary animals whose courage and loyalty save lives,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO of American Humane, in a statement. “We owe these dogs a commitment to their well-being that matches their service to us. What excites me about Warhound is the opportunity to make health, welfare, and exceptional care fundamental to a working-dog program from the very beginning. Success means helping these dogs thrive throughout their lives—from training and active service to the loving, dignified retirement every canine hero deserves.”
Warhound is built to take today’s level of performance and make it better: using cutting edge engineering and technology, on American soil, from American companies, without the wait times, price volatility, or geopolitical exposure of a foreign supply chain.
Colossal was founded to apply CRISPR technology for the purposes of species de-extinction. Colossal creates innovative technologies for species restoration, critically endangered species protection and the repopulation of critical ecosystems that support the continuation of life on Earth. Colossal is accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state, while also solving for the future economies and biological necessities of the human condition through cutting-edge science and technologies.
Right now, they’re working with Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds to start with the breeding program, Lamm said. In the “gene editing” process, they can remove deleterious factors like vision loss to cancer, hip dysplasia and muscle atrophy. That can help increase longevity for the dogs, he said.