Warhound Raises $200 Million to Genetically Engineer Military Working Dogs

Originally reported by TechCrunch.

Warhound, a startup founded by Ben Lamm of Colossal Biosciences, with Anduril's Palmer Luckey as a partner, emerged from stealth after raising $200 million in funding at a $1.2 billion valuation, as first reported by TechCrunch. The round was backed by Sequoia, 8VC, Corner Ventures and In-Q-Tel, the venture firm backed by the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies.

The company is building genetically engineered working dogs for the U.S. military, law enforcement and emergency response teams. Lamm told TechCrunch he met Luckey about a year ago at a conference, where Luckey said more should be done for the military's working dogs. The two kept in touch and Lamm began researching how working dogs are bred, eventually concluding that genetic engineering and cloning could produce a more capable animal. The company has taken cell lines from Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd dogs and placed them in a biobank; from there, engineers will edit the genes to create what the company calls "a new type of dog."

Warhound's dogs do not yet exist. Lamm told TechCrunch that the first batch is about to be cloned and incubated, with births expected early next year and service deployments targeted within two years. Colossal's subsidiary Viagen will handle the cloning work. Anduril will supply hardware and software including protective vests and goggles, equipment Lamm described to TechCrunch as sitting "on top of the dog, not in the dog." Luckey is a partner in the venture but owns no equity, per TechCrunch; Colossal holds equity and licenses its technology to Warhound.

Why it matters

The defense-tech and biotech overlap is still rare in commercial markets, but Warhound's formation illustrates how dual-use life sciences funding is moving. In-Q-Tel's participation signals federal interest before any government contract has been awarded. The company's stated rationale points to a supply-side problem: per the company, more than 80% of U.S. military working dogs are sourced from Europe, and less than half are fit for service. Whether or not Warhound's technology performs, that supply argument gives the company a straightforward procurement pitch to the Department of Defense, police forces and first responders, which Lamm identified to TechCrunch as target buyers. Pricing has not been determined.

The involvement of the American Humane Society, which told TechCrunch it looks forward to working with Warhound to help ensure animals in its care are treated humanely, gives the venture an early credibility signal on the animal welfare side. The Society is also expected to help certify Warhound's training program for the new dogs.

What to watch

The central open question is regulatory: Lamm told TechCrunch the company has briefed many government groups, but said each deployed dog will be trained and managed by whoever purchases it, leaving the approval pathway for commercially sold, genetically engineered dogs still undefined. How federal agencies treat the animals under existing military working dog regulations will largely determine whether Warhound can reach its two-year deployment target.

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Sources

• TechCrunch: Warhound raises $200M to engineer war dogs and arm them with Anduril gear | TechCrunch