Warhound raises $200M to engineer war dogs and arm them with Anduril gear

Warhound, launched by Colossal Biosciences founder Ben Lamm with Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey as a partner, disclosed a $200 million raise at a $1.2 billion valuation to create genetically engineered working dogs for the U.S. military, law enforcement and emergency responders. Backed by investors including In-Q-Tel, Sequoia and 8VC, the company targets a shrinking and foreign-dependent supply of service dogs - more than 80% sourced from Europe and fewer than half fit for duty - by biobanking cell lines from top-performing breeds (Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd), editing genes to boost health, longevity, speed, agility and olfaction while removing predispositions to cancer, hip dysplasia and other failures, and cloning puppies via partner Viagen. Colossal leverages its de-extinction and gene-engineering capabilities, plus AI tools, to move a first cohort into incubation now and into service within about two years.

Anduril will provide hardware and software “on top of” the animals - sensorized protection vests, goggles and data links to improve situational awareness and handler coordination - while Colossal retains equity and licenses its tech to Warhound; Luckey holds no equity. Customers are expected to include the Department of Defense, military groups, police and first responders, with pricing still undecided and government briefings underway. Training and welfare oversight will follow American Humane Society guidance, with dogs managed by buyers and retirement routed through existing reunification programs.