Benchmark Backs Furientis With $25M to Mass Produce Cheap Missile Interceptors

Summary

As of October 6, 2026, Benchmark is leading a $25 million seed round in one year old Furientis, its first pure defense startup investment, with the private valuation understood to be $125 million. The round follows a $5 million pre-seed announced in May. Furientis, Latin for “of fury,” used that capital to build prototypes and complete about 12 launches, while securing a funded Pentagon contract for midrange interceptors. Benchmark general partner Chetan Puttagunta backed its capital efficiency as conflicts in Ukraine and Iran deplete US missile stocks, four years after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Co-founders Brody Franzen, formerly Virgin Galactic’s deputy chief engineer and later at $13 billion hypersonic missile startup Castelion, and Aris Simsarian, formerly Virgin Orbit’s rocket engine testing lead, are targeting the gap between roughly $3 million “exquisite” missiles and cheap threats. Franzen says the US Navy receives 300 to 500 interceptors annually while China claims production of 3,000 anti-ship cruise missiles monthly, exceeding US output by more than 100 times. Furientis accepts lower performance than leading interceptors to use available components, cut costs to a fraction of legacy systems and accelerate assembly. It builds in Los Angeles, tests biweekly at White Sands, New Mexico, and targets 1,000 systems annually from each factory. Anduril, Castelion and Shield AI are pursuing mass-produced interceptors, while Raytheon and Lockheed Martin modernize longer manufacturing cycles. Puttagunta expects room for additional suppliers.