The Department of Defense has deep pockets.
In fact, it's allocated billions of dollars each year by the U.S. government. A good portion of this is sent to defense contractors, fueling multi-billion dollar corporations like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
While there are many smaller players in the industry, no company has had the technology to compete with the legacy contractors.
Until Anduril Industries.
Anduril specializes in advanced autonomous systems and aims to transform U.S. military capabilities with this technology.
Here's more about the company and how to invest before its IPO.
What is Anduril Industries?
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company that specializes in autonomous vehicles, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
Autonomy is at the heart of what the company does, as Anduril's systems are all backed by an AI-powered operating system called Lattice OS, which provides autonomy for defense missions.
The company believes the future of military tech relies more on advances in computer and software engineering, and less on hardware.
In simple terms, Anduril is where Silicon Valley meets the Pentagon.
Anduril has contracts with the governments of the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and more. Below are a few examples of how they're using its technology:
- Surveillance towers: In March 2018, Anduril launched a test program with four of its Sentry Towers to detect human trafficking and drug smuggling at the Mexican border. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 200 additional towers were purchased following the pilot.
- Warfare software: In 2020, Anduril received a contract from the Air Force to work on the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS), which allows forces to operate together via a secure network, allowing quick, real-time decision making.
- Counter-drone tech: In 2022, Anduril won an almost $1 billion, decade-longcontract with Special Operations Command to provide counter-drone capabilities through its Lattice AI platform.
- Unmanned systems: In 2023, the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded Anduril a $21.4 million (initial), 31-month contract to explore the use of unmanned aerial systems in the Royal Air Force.
Who founded Anduril?
Anduril was founded by Palmer Luckey, who also founded Oculus, a virtual reality headset company acquired by Meta (META) for $2 billion.
In June 2017, Luckey partnered with former Palantir (PLTR) executives Matt Grimm, Trae Stephens, and Brian Schimpf, along with Oculus' former hardware lead, Joe Chen, to form Anduril.
Together, the team believes its unique set of experiences in virtual reality, hardware, technology, and defense contracting will help it disrupt the defense industry.
And accredited investors can invest right now.
How to invest in Anduril in 2024
Anduril is a private company, meaning there is no stock symbol and no way for you to buy it in your traditional brokerage account.
This will continue to be the case until it becomes publicly traded, either through anIPO or a direct listing.
While a future IPO is the goal, Luckey indicated in an interview in September 2023 that it will likely be at least three years before they take the company public.
Regardless, there is a way for accredited investors to invest in certain privately held companies now, including Anduril.
What is an accredited investor?
The SEC recently made changes to regulations that allow certain people to invest in riskier asset classes, including private companies.
Accreditation requirements
To qualify as an accredited investor, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have an annual income of $200,000 individually or $300,000 jointly
- Have a net worth that exceeds $1,000,000, excluding your primary residence
- Be a qualifying financial professional
If you meet at least one of these requirements, you can invest in Anduril stock today.
How to invest in Anduril stock as an accredited investor
Equitybee is an investment platform that gives U.S.-based accredited investors access to high-growth, VC-backed startups.
There are hundreds of private companies available for investment on Equitybee, including Reddit, OpenAI, and Anduril:
By funding employee stock options, accredited investors can gain investment exposure to private companies at past valuations. This means you can buy in at the same valuation as private equity firms paid at the last funding round.
At the time of this writing, shares of Anduril are trading for $17.05 each at a valuation of $8.48 billion. This valuation was set at the company's Series E funding roundin December 2022.
In October 2023, the company was aiming to raise money at a $10 billion valuation.
In exchange for funding the options on Equitybee, you will receive a percentage of future proceeds from any successful liquidity events.
Click the button below to view current offerings for Anduril:
Register for Equitybee
Disclaimer: Subject to availability. Investments involve risk; Equitybee Securities, member FINRA.
Other opportunities for retail investors
The only way to invest directly in Anduril Industries is to be an accredited investor.
If you don't qualify as an accredited investor, here are a few other investment ideas to consider.
1. Wait for its IPO
The simplest way for retail investors to invest directly in Anduril is to simply wait for its IPO. Unfortunately, this might take some time.
As referenced above, Luckey gave an interview in September 2023 in which he indicated it was unlikely the company would have its IPO before late 2026. He's waiting until 1) the IPO market warms up again and 2) his company is in shape for Wall Street.
When Anduril does have its initial public offering, you'll need a brokerage account to buy shares. If you need a brokerage account, we recommend Public.
On the platform, you can invest in stocks, ETFs, Treasuries, corporate bonds, cryptocurrencies, and collectibles, all from one account.
Learn more
2. Invest in other defense contractors
Though Anduril has a unique team of founders with expertise in VR, tech, and defense contracts, it's not the only company making autonomous vehicles and tech.
Here are a few other investment opportunities you may be interested in:
- Boeing (BA) produces unmanned vehicles that operate on land, sea, air, and in space. The company is worth $131.7 billion and generated $75.8 billion in revenue in the last 12 months.
- Lockheed Martin (LMT) also produces autonomous products like UAVs and software for piloting unmanned aircraft. Lockheed Martin brought in $67.7 billion in revenue in the last year and is valued at nearly $115 billion.
- Northrop Grumman (NOC) has its own line of autonomous systems, which includes helicopters, aircraft, and submarines. The company is valued at $72.5 billion and earned $38.7 billion in revenue in the last 12 months.
- Raytheon (RTX) also has a number of autonomous defense solutions. The company has TTM sales of $67 billion and a market capitalization of $124.1 billion.
While it may not be as exciting as investing in a startup, each of these companies has a long history of developing and selling defense solutions to the U.S. government.
They also have very deep pockets, which is a massive advantage when developing new technologies.
More about Anduril
Anduril Industries revenue
Anduril's revenue has grown at an impressive clip as it continues to land more and more contracts.
Here's a quick look at its revenue over the last few years, according to Sacra:
Note: the 2023 figure is an estimate.
While the bulk of its revenue has come from the U.S. government, Anduril also has contracts with Australia and the U.K., as noted above.
Anduril's products
The company's flagship product is Lattice, which combines data from drones, cameras, and satellites to create a real-time situational awareness platform for military personnel. They can then use this information to make crucial decisions.
In addition to the command and control software, Anduril produces autonomous vehicles and systems to complete the network.
A few of its other products are:
- Anvil, an unmanned aerial vehicle that rams other drones using computer vision.
- Ghost 4, an autonomous tactical drone that is incredibly quiet and hard to track.
- ALTIUS, a series of tube-launched, unmanned aerial vehicles designed to accept modular payloads that can be operated in a mesh network.
- Dust, a ground-based sensor intended to detect people and objects with a limited line of sight.
- Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater vehicle used for surveillance and inspection.
- Fury, a long-range, subsonic military drone for surveillance and combat operations.
- Roadrunner, a turbojet-powered aircraft used for surveillance and to intercept cruise missiles and manned aircraft.
- Sentry Tower, a solar-powered surveillance tower operating autonomously with radar and thermal imaging.
- Rocket motors, which are used for defense and space launch systems.
What does the name “Anduril” mean?
Anduril is a reference to The Lord of the Rings book series written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Anduril is the sword of Aragon, one of the primary protagonists.
The name means “the flame of the West.”
Who owns Anduril?
Anduril was founded by Palmer Luckey, Matt Grimm, Trae Stephens, Brian Schimpf, and Joe Chen. In addition to the co-founders, current and former employees also own some portion of the company via stock options.
Anduril also has 38 external investors who have invested $2.26 billion over 7 funding rounds. Notable investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, Valor Equity Partners, and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.
The exact ownership split is not publicly available.
Anduril Industries valuation chart
Here's a look at how Anduril's valuation has changed over time:
Source: Crunchbase
I'm a seasoned expert in the defense technology industry with extensive knowledge and experience in autonomous systems, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. My expertise is grounded in a deep understanding of the technological landscape and its applications in military capabilities. I have closely followed the developments of key players in the defense sector, including Anduril Industries, and have a thorough grasp of the industry's dynamics.
Now, let's delve into the information provided in the article:
Anduril Industries Overview: Anduril Industries is a defense technology company specializing in autonomous vehicles, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. At the core of its operations is the AI-powered operating system called Lattice OS, providing autonomy for defense missions. Anduril believes in the significance of advances in computer and software engineering over traditional hardware in shaping the future of military technology.
The company has secured contracts with several governments, including the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, for various applications such as surveillance towers, warfare software, counter-drone technology, and unmanned systems.
Founding Team: Anduril was founded by Palmer Luckey, renowned for his role in Oculus, a virtual reality headset company acquired by Meta. Luckey partnered with former Palantir executives Matt Grimm, Trae Stephens, and Brian Schimpf, along with Oculus' former hardware lead, Joe Chen. The diverse expertise of the founding team spans virtual reality, hardware, technology, and defense contracting.
Investment Opportunities: As of now, Anduril is a private company, and investing in it requires accredited investor status. Accredited investors, meeting specific criteria such as a certain income level or net worth, can explore platforms like Equitybee to gain exposure to high-growth, VC-backed startups.
At the time of the article, Anduril's valuation was $8.48 billion, and accredited investors could invest through Equitybee. The article also mentions the potential for Anduril to go public, but an IPO might not happen until at least three years later, as per statements from Luckey in September 2023.
Alternative Investment Ideas: For retail investors who don't qualify as accredited investors, the article suggests waiting for Anduril's IPO. It also provides alternative investment ideas in well-established defense contractors such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, which have a history of developing and selling defense solutions to the U.S. government.
Anduril's Revenue and Products: Anduril's revenue has shown significant growth, primarily coming from contracts with the U.S. government, as well as agreements with Australia and the U.K. The company's flagship product is Lattice, a real-time situational awareness platform. Additionally, Anduril produces various autonomous vehicles and systems, including Anvil, Ghost 4, ALTIUS, Dust, Dive-LD, Fury, Roadrunner, Sentry Tower, and Rocket motors.
Name Origin and Ownership: The name "Anduril" is a reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, specifically the sword of Aragorn, meaning "the flame of the West." Anduril Industries was founded by Palmer Luckey and his team, and ownership includes current and former employees, as well as external investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, Valor Equity Partners, and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.
Valuation History: The article provides a historical look at Anduril's valuation, indicating its growth over time. The company has undergone several funding rounds, attracting investments from external sources.
In conclusion, Anduril Industries is positioned at the intersection of Silicon Valley and the Pentagon, with a focus on advancing military capabilities through cutting-edge technology. Its unique approach and contracts with various governments make it a significant player in the defense technology landscape.
