Key Takeaways
- • Shield AI secured $2 billion in combined financing, including a $1 billion Series H led by Disruptive and Innovation X Capital and a $1 billion structured equity investment from funds managed by Blackstone, alongside $500 million in debt led by JPMorganChase, according to Crunchbase News.
- • Zipline International raised $1.5 billion in late-stage funding at a $21.5 billion post-money valuation, led by Paradigm, WCM Investment Management and Layer Global.
- • Shield AI is also acquiring radar company Echodyne in a transaction valued at $5.3 billion.
- • CesiumAstro closed a $730 million Series D at a valuation above $4.5 billion, led by Janus Henderson, and secured an additional $100 million in debt through the Export-Import Bank of the United States and JP Morgan.
- • Among the remaining top-10 rounds, Applied Compute raised $350 million at a $3.25 billion valuation and said its annual recurring revenue has topped $100 million, while Northwood Space raised $375 million in Series C.
Summary
Shield AI, a San Diego-based developer of autonomy software and systems for the defense sector, along with simulation and synthetic reality technologies, led the week's largest financings with $2 billion in combined equity and debt. The equity comprised a $1 billion Series H led by Disruptive and Innovation X Capital and a $1 billion structured equity investment from funds managed by Blackstone. JPMorganChase led the $500 million debt financing. The company also said it is acquiring radar company Echodyne in a transaction valued at $5.3 billion.
Drone delivery provider Zipline International, based in South San Francisco, raised $1.5 billion in late-stage funding at a $21.5 billion post-money valuation. Paradigm, WCM Investment Management and Layer Global led the round. The company plans to use the proceeds to expand its U.S. manufacturing facilities and increase hiring as it builds a nationwide drone delivery network.
In space tech, Austin-based CesiumAstro, which develops space and defense communications systems and satellites, closed $730 million in Series D financing at a valuation of more than $4.5 billion. Janus Henderson led the equity round, and the company secured $100 million in debt through the Export-Import Bank of the United States and JP Morgan. Torrance, California-based Northwood Space, a developer of ground infrastructure for satellite systems, raised $375 million in Series C funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and DFJ Growth. The three-year-old company had raised its Series B about nine months earlier.
In AI, San Francisco-based Applied Compute, which provides a cloud computing platform for training and running large AI models, announced $350 million at a $3.25 billion valuation. Elad Gil led the round, with participation from Nvidia and other investors. The company, launched 18 months ago, said its annual recurring revenue has already topped $100 million. Other rounds included Harbinger's $240 million Series D, led by Tiger Global, Capricorn Investment Group and Ridgeline, for a company known for electric trucks that has expanded into battery storage and defense; Sentra's $150 million strategic investment led by Capital One Ventures; Traversal's $120 million at a $1 billion valuation, co-led by Kleiner Perkins, Redpoint and Khosla Ventures; and Ocient's $100 million Series C, co-led by BOKA Capital and OCA Ventures.
The tied tenth-place rounds were Tutor Intelligence's $75 million Series B, led by Andreessen Horowitz, and Kalepa's $75 million Series B at a $470 million valuation, led by Updata Partners. The tally covers announced rounds by U.S.-based companies from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, 2026, drawn from the Crunchbase database, which may miss late-reported deals.
Drone delivery provider Zipline International, based in South San Francisco, raised $1.5 billion in late-stage funding at a $21.5 billion post-money valuation. Paradigm, WCM Investment Management and Layer Global led the round. The company plans to use the proceeds to expand its U.S. manufacturing facilities and increase hiring as it builds a nationwide drone delivery network.
In space tech, Austin-based CesiumAstro, which develops space and defense communications systems and satellites, closed $730 million in Series D financing at a valuation of more than $4.5 billion. Janus Henderson led the equity round, and the company secured $100 million in debt through the Export-Import Bank of the United States and JP Morgan. Torrance, California-based Northwood Space, a developer of ground infrastructure for satellite systems, raised $375 million in Series C funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and DFJ Growth. The three-year-old company had raised its Series B about nine months earlier.
In AI, San Francisco-based Applied Compute, which provides a cloud computing platform for training and running large AI models, announced $350 million at a $3.25 billion valuation. Elad Gil led the round, with participation from Nvidia and other investors. The company, launched 18 months ago, said its annual recurring revenue has already topped $100 million. Other rounds included Harbinger's $240 million Series D, led by Tiger Global, Capricorn Investment Group and Ridgeline, for a company known for electric trucks that has expanded into battery storage and defense; Sentra's $150 million strategic investment led by Capital One Ventures; Traversal's $120 million at a $1 billion valuation, co-led by Kleiner Perkins, Redpoint and Khosla Ventures; and Ocient's $100 million Series C, co-led by BOKA Capital and OCA Ventures.
The tied tenth-place rounds were Tutor Intelligence's $75 million Series B, led by Andreessen Horowitz, and Kalepa's $75 million Series B at a $470 million valuation, led by Updata Partners. The tally covers announced rounds by U.S.-based companies from Oct. 31 to Nov. 6, 2026, drawn from the Crunchbase database, which may miss late-reported deals.
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