Overland AI Secures $32M to Advance Ground Autonomy Technology
Overland AI, a pioneering company in off-road ground vehicle autonomy for the defense sector, has secured significant funding to advance its technology. The company, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, has recently announced a $32 million Series A funding round. This investment was led by 8VC, with participation from Ascend, Osage University Partners, Overmatch Ventures, Point72 Ventures, Shasta Ventures, and The CAPROCK Group.
The funding will be utilized to accelerate the deployment of Overland AI’s cutting-edge solutions for defense and national security applications. The company’s flagship product, the OverDrive autonomy stack, enables ground vehicles to perform tasks autonomously, even in electronically denied areas. This technology has been successfully integrated into vehicles such as the Polaris RZR, Textron Ripsaw M5, and General Dynamics S-MET. Additionally, the OverWatch C2 interface enhances operational efficiency, allowing a single operator to control multiple vehicles simultaneously, focusing on mission-critical tactics rather than vehicle management.
Overland AI’s technology is designed to meet the growing demand for autonomous off-road capabilities, particularly in the defense sector. The company has previously secured a $18.6 million ceiling prototype Other Transaction (OT) agreement from the U.S. Army and Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to adapt its OverDrive technology for autonomous vehicles capable of traversing complex terrain in contested areas. Furthermore, Overland AI was selected as a performer on Phase II of the DARPA RACER program to continue refining OverDrive’s capabilities and demonstrating its integration into heavy tracked platforms and lightweight wheeled vehicles.
The company’s focus on off-road autonomy is driven by the need to enhance safety in the field. By leveraging cutting-edge robotics, machine learning, and extensive field testing, Overland AI empowers modern defense operations with reliable, autonomous ground solutions. The company’s technology is poised to revolutionize ground operations for defense, offering scalable solutions to meet the evolving demands of national security.
Prior to the Series A funding, Overland AI had secured $10 million in seed funding, led by Point72 Ventures with participation from Shasta Ventures, Ascend VC, Pioneer Square Labs, Voyager Capital, and Cubit Capital. This initial funding round supported the expansion of Overland AI’s workforce, with a focus on hiring top engineering talent, as well as the development and testing of the OverDrive software.
Overland AI’s commitment to advancing ground vehicle autonomy is underscored by its team’s extensive experience in machine learning, robotics, and autonomous systems. The company’s CEO, Byron Boots, is also the Amazon Endowed Professor of Machine Learning at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. Boots’ Robot Learning Lab at the University of Washington has pioneered new machine learning approaches to robotics and control, collaborating with the U.S. Army Research Lab and DARPA on several research programs over the past decade.
With the Series A funding, Overland AI is well-positioned to drive innovation in defense technology, offering critical autonomy solutions for complex, off-road environments. The company’s technology is designed to enhance mission efficiency, reduce operational risks, and provide critical autonomy in contested terrains, such as the Indo-Pacific region, where off-road navigation poses significant challenges.
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