Booz Allen Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Booz Allen Hamilton, has made a strategic investment in Firestorm Labs, an advanced additive manufacturing company that develops edge manufacturing units and unmanned aerial systems such as 3D-printed military drones.
These systems give the U.S. military advanced capabilities to operate at the edge, helping maintain dominance in critical regions like the Indo-Pacific by providing warfighters with mission-critical tools directly on the battlefield.
Firestorm Labs manufactures modular, open-architecture unmanned aerial systems for rapid deployment in edge environments. By integrating intelligence and electronic warfare system capabilities into small, customizable and cost-effective solutions, the company delivers technology designed for resource-constrained operating environments.
Shands Pickett, senior vice president of defense technology and strategy at Booz Allen, said adversaries are increasingly weaponizing inexpensive commercial off-the-shelf systems, which means the U.S. must rethink defense manufacturing with speed as a top priority.
“We invested in Firestorm Labs because we believe their effective, flexible, and low-cost unmanned aerial systems will help ensure the U.S. maintains the world’s strongest and most lethal warfighting force,” Pickett said. “We also believe their xCell technology has the potential to accelerate the delivery of critical mission effects in important regions like the Indo-Pacific.”
The Series A investment will support Firestorm Labs’ xCell technology, a “factory-in-a-box” that can produce mission-specific components and materials within hours on the battlefield.
“Our partnership with Booz Allen strengthens our ability to meet the needs of warfighters at speed and scale,” said Dan Magy, CEO at Firestorm Labs. “We created our xCell platform to reduce production time, costs, and logistical constraints, so that the U.S. has reliable, mission-specific tools at the ready to ensure operations are as efficient and effective as possible.”
The investment aligns with Booz Allen’s focus on operational readiness and U.S. technological and defense leadership. It supports Firestorm Labs’ efforts to expand production capabilities and deliver affordable, mission-critical technology directly to the battlefield.
Booz Allen Ventures has invested in 17 early-stage companies developing dual-use commercial technologies. Its portfolio includes Albedo, ConductorAI, Corsha, Credo AI, HiddenLayer, Hidden Level, Latent AI, Quindar, RAIC Labs (formerly Synthetaic), Reality Defender, Reveal Technology, Scout AI, Second Front, SEEQC, Shift5 and Starfish Space.