Smack Technologies Secures $32 Million in Series A Funding

Smack Technologies, an El Segundo, California-based startup specializing in national security solutions, announced today it has raised $32 million in Series A funding. The investment will be used to establish a cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) laboratory dedicated to serving the U.S. Department of War, its allies, and partners.

Funding Round Details

The Series A round was led by Geodesic Capital and Costanoa Ventures, with significant participation from Point72 Ventures, Felicis, First In, Scribble Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, Washington Harbour Partners, Palumni VC, Fulcrum Venture Group, Anomaly Fund, and Fortitude Ventures. Smack previously secured seed funding led by Point72 Ventures.

Company Leadership and Background

Smack Technologies was co-founded by Andrew Markoff and Clint Alanis, both veterans of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command (MARSOC). The founders bring over twenty years of combined combat experience to the company’s mission.

Existing Contracts and Future Development

The company has already established contracts with various branches of the U.S. armed forces, including the Joint Fires Network and the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab. The new funding will enable Smack Technologies to expand its technical team and accelerate the research and development of its product suites, models, and applications.

“Decision Dominance” and the Urgency of AI

Andrew Markoff, chief executive and co-founder of Smack, emphasized the critical importance of rapid advancements in decision-making capabilities. “In the short term, Decision Dominance will be the deciding factor in preventing WWIII because it’s the only achievable goal before 2027,” Markoff stated. He highlighted the need to modernize decision-making processes in the face of evolving AI and autonomous systems.

Omega and Alpha Product Suites

Smack’s dual product suites, Omega and Alpha, are designed to eliminate decision-making silos within the Department of War. These suites aim to enable campaign-informed planning across various time horizons – from one to six months, one to four days, and in real-time.

Industry Perspective

Greg Sands, founder and managing partner at Costanoa Ventures, praised Smack’s approach to national security challenges. “Andrew and his team are applying their experience to one of the most critical challenges in national security today: achieving true decision advantage,” Sands said. He further noted the company’s integration of sensors, physics-based modeling, and advanced reinforcement learning.