Warhound Raises $200M to Engineer Genetically Enhanced War Dogs
Warhound, a U.S. startup backed by biotech firm Colossal Biosciences and defense tech company Anduril, has emerged from stealth with $200 million in funding. It is valued at $1.2 billion and plans to use gene editing to create working dogs for military and emergency use.
Warhound, a U.S. startup, announced on Thursday that it is leaving stealth mode with $200 million in funding. The company aims to genetically engineer working dogs for the U.S. military, law enforcement and other emergency response teams. Investors include In-Q-Tel, Sequoia and 8VC, and the round values the company at $1.2 billion.
The idea came from Ben Lamm, head of the biotech company Colossal Biosciences, and Palmer Luckey, co-founder of defense technology firm Anduril. Colossal is currently best known for its efforts to bring back extinct animals such as the dodo and the mammoth.
Why new dogs are needed
According to the company, more than 80% of the U.S. military's working dogs come from Europe, and fewer than half are fit for service. The supply is shrinking while reliance on foreign countries grows. The dogs handle tasks that are dangerous for people or hard for machines, such as bomb detection and searches.
Lamm said he met Luckey about a year ago at a conference. While researching the issue, he learned that many dogs fail training because of genetic problems such as poor eyesight, a high risk of cancer, hip dysplasia or muscle atrophy.
How it will work
Lamm's team took cell lines from the two top-performing working breeds, the Belgian Malinois and the German Shepherd, and placed them in a biobank. The plan is to edit the genes, adding ones that improve performance and removing ones that hinder it, to create "a new type of dog." Lamm pointed to possible gains in health, longevity, speed, agility and sense of smell.
Anduril will supply software and hardware, such as protective vests and goggles, to help dogs and handlers with situational awareness and coordination. Luckey holds no equity in Warhound and is a partner only.
The first batch of dogs is about to be cloned and is expected to be born early next year, with service entry hoped for within two years. Viagen, another Colossal-owned company, will help with cloning. Pricing is not yet set; expected buyers include first responders, the Department of Defense and police forces. The company is working with the American Humane Society to certify its training program.
