Epirus Closes $250M Series D to Hyperscale Leonidas Production Capability for Critical Asset Protection

New funding to accelerate production of high-power microwave defense capability for short range air defense and fuel company's international and commercial growth roadmap

LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Epirus announced today an oversubscribed $250 million Series D fundraising round, bringing the company's total venture funding to more than $550 million and positioning the company to scale production of its Leonidas™ product line to meet growing global demand. 

Leonidas™ is a scalable solid-state, high-energy, high-power microwave (HPM) technology for counter-electronics applications that has been proven effective in Department of Defense testing in countering drones, drone swarms, and other electronics. 

This investment will enable Epirus to grow and acquire the best talent, improve supply chain resiliency, upgrade internal systems and processes, expand into international and commercial markets, and increase the company's innovation and manufacturing footprint in the U.S.

The round was led by 8VC and Washington Harbour Partners LP, alongside a deep roster of return investors including StepStone Group, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc., Gaingels, strategic defense partner General Dynamics Land Systems, and new investors including Oppenheimer's Private Market Opportunities Vista VI Fund, NightDragon, Manhattan Venture Partners, Centaurus Capital LP, and Center15 Capital. 

"Our directed EMP is already the best protection against drone swarms today," said Joe Lonsdale, Epirus Founder and Managing Partner, 8VC. "With our capital and talent and the right partnerships with US DoD to continue to advance Epirus' technology, it will quickly become critical for defending aircraft, ships and even satellites and space-based platforms—and determinative for the future of warfare."  

"The future of warfare demands defense technologies that are intelligent, agile, scalable, and cost-effective," said Mina Faltas, Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Washington Harbour Partners. "Epirus is delivering exactly that as the transformative leader in counter-electronics technology, delivering the only field-deployable solution capable of neutralizing drone swarms at scale. As the U.S. faces mounting threats and a strained defense industrial base, Epirus provides a unique asymmetric advantage to fill a critical gap in our national security. We are honored to partner with Epirus as they pioneer the next generation of directed energy capabilities, redefining how we protect our warfighters, civilians, and critical infrastructure." 

"GDLS is excited to continue our strategic partnership with Epirus and the promise of high-power microwave technology solutions used to address counter-UAS threats for military application," said Dave Paddock, President, General Dynamics Land Systems.

A New Era of Warfare Requires a '1 to Many' Mindset

"A new era of threats mandates a shift from a '1 to 1' mindset to a '1 to many' way of thinking for short-range air defense, and we are primed to support the Department of Defense in this new way of warfare," said Andy Lowery, Epirus CEO. "This funding will supercharge the manufacturing capability for our Leonidas™ high-power microwave product line and position us for our next stage of scaling growth." 

Today's battlefields are littered with thousands of low-cost, highly networked and highly distributed threats, capable of overwhelming traditional defenses through sheer volume and agility. This shift in warfare necessitates technologies that are scalable and easily upgraded to fit a range of use cases, effective against a spectrum of threats, and capable of processing many threats simultaneously by a single operator. 

That's why Epirus built Leonidas™—a solid-state, software-defined, high-energy HPM system that delivers unmatched electronic warfare capabilities. Tested and proven as a scalable counter-swarm solution, Leonidas™ features an open architecture, unlimited magazine, and demonstrated non-kinetic effects against a wide range of electronic threats.

"It's not just the effector that must operate with a "1 to many" mindset—the entire kill chain, from sensors to command and control, must do the same," said Lowery. "We've worked alongside the Defense Department to drive this approach and will continue to support its evolution as the threat landscape evolves." 

With this funding, Epirus will realize its 2018 founding vision of building next-generation short-range air defense systems at scale and advance our mission of overcoming the asymmetric challenges inherent to the future of national security.

Building a '1 to Many' Effector for Critical Asset Protection

Epirus' Leonidas™ HPM systems use solid-state gallium-nitride semiconductors and intelligent power management techniques to generate the most energy-dense pulse against electronics ever built. The result? Modern day force fields. 

As an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), Leonidas™ is built on a building block architecture that allows a myriad of configurations enabling a wide variety of critical assets needing protection.

Epirus envisions a future where our HPM force fields are essential for protecting critical assets in any layered defense system—whether for Golden Dome, convoy protection, in Space, and beyond. From military installations, borders, airports, and power plants to integration within tanks, next-generation aerial platforms, and helicopters, the opportunities ahead are vast. 

'Neo-Primes' Fueled by American Manufacturing and Innovation

We have entered a revolutionary period of American "neo-primes", where nontraditional defense technology companies that fuse the DNA of big aerospace with a disruptive Silicon Valley mindset are pioneering extraordinary innovations in support of U.S. government.

Since 2018, Epirus has heavily invested in internal research and development, driving constant innovation with a human-centered design approach and an agile, scalable manufacturing process. When Epirus secured its first major U.S. Army contract, the company delivered prototype systems in just nine months. Maintaining this speed with discipline—at scale—is how America and its allies will win.

With the company's latest funding round, Epirus is expanding innovation and manufacturing in the U.S. Epirus' first initiative is a unique, immersive simulation center opening in Q3 2025 in Oklahoma—home to U.S. Army Garrison Fort Sill and the Joint Counter-Small UAS University at the Fires Center of Excellence. 

The simulation center will feature surround-sound audio, stadium seating, floor-to-ceiling video and agile training modules, creating an immersive and realistic training environment to prepare warfighters for today's threats. Additional manufacturing expansions, along with process and system improvements, will be announced later this year.

While, historically speaking, some technology companies have distanced themselves from working with the U.S. Department of Defense, Epirus is one of a select cohort of neo-primes committed to driving critical technological advancement and innovation in pursuit of protecting democratic values, national security and the warfighter.

About Epirus
Epirus is a high-growth technology company dedicated to overcoming the asymmetric challenges inherent to the future of national security. Epirus' flagship technology, Leonidas™, is a software-defined, high-energy, high-power microwave platform, built using intelligent power management techniques which allow power-hungry systems to do more with less. For more information on Epirus' solutions or to request an interview with subject matter experts, please contact [email protected].

About 8VC
8VC is a leading technology investment firm, backing visionary teams and industry-transforming companies. The partners have an extensive track record as founders, builders, and operators of companies including Palantir, Addepar, Resilience, and OpenGov. 8VC manages over $6 billion in committed capital, investing primarily in smart enterprise platforms, healthcare, logistics, Bio-IT, and defense. For more information, visit https://8vc.com.

About Washington Harbour Partners
Washington Harbour Partners LP, based in Washington DC, is a private investment firm that brings a fresh approach to investors and founders, providing flexibility and deep operational expertise at all stages of the investment cycle – from growth equity to control buyouts to public markets. The firm has deep domain expertise in the areas of software, defense technologies, cyber, government & business services, and technology-enabled services.

SOURCE Epirus