## From Tweet to Takeoff: Theseus Secures $4.3M to Navigate GPS-Denied Drone Territory
A single tweet has launched defense tech startup Theseus into the stratosphere. What began as a hackathon project – a sub-$500 drone capable of calculating GPS coordinates using only its camera and Google Maps – has attracted the attention of Y Combinator, the U.S. Special Forces, and, most recently, $4.3 million in seed funding.
The story began on February 18, 2024, when Ian Laffey, along with his newly-met teammates Sacha Lévy and Carl Schoeller, showcased their creation on X. Their ingenuity struck a chord, particularly given the ongoing challenges of GPS jamming affecting drone operations in conflict zones like Ukraine. Currently, drone operators in these environments rely on high-tech goggles for visual guidance, a solution hampered by poor visibility conditions.
The viral tweet opened doors the team couldn’t have imagined. Within days, the trio applied to and were accepted into Y Combinator’s Spring 2024 cohort. Now, the San Francisco-based company, Theseus, is poised for growth, fueled by the $4.3 million seed round led by First Round Capital, with participation from Y Combinator and Lux Capital.
Theseus enters a competitive landscape of drone-related startups, including Skydio (valued at $2.2 billion) and Shield AI (valued at $5.3 billion), alongside established defense giants like Anduril. However, Theseus distinguishes itself by focusing on the core hardware and software components necessary for autonomous drone navigation in GPS-denied environments, rather than building entire drone systems.
“We don’t build targeting systems,” CEO Carl Schoeller told TechCrunch. “Our software is not deciding whether a certain spot is a legitimate military target or not — the sole focus is getting a drone from point A to B.”
While Theseus hasn’t yet secured any formal U.S. military contracts or battlefield deployments, the company has already garnered the interest of the U.S. Special Forces. They are currently collaborating on early testing and development, with Theseus recently showcasing their technology at a secure Special Forces base.
With fresh capital in hand, Theseus is focused on further developing its technology and expanding its engineering team. The company’s unexpected journey from a weekend hackathon to a promising defense tech startup underscores the power of innovation and the potential for a single tweet to change everything. Despite the unconventional start – launching a company with individuals met only days prior – Schoeller believes the leap of faith has been worthwhile.