Latest news with #SpearAI
Canada News.Net
7 hours ago
- Business
- Canada News.Net
Spear AI secures funding to turn sonar data into battlefield intel
SAN FRANCISCO, California: A veteran-led startup that's rethinking how submarines gather intelligence just secured its first round of external funding. Spear AI, founded by former U.S. Navy officers, has raised US$2.3 million to develop AI tools that can make sense of passive acoustic data, sounds collected underwater by submarines and sensor networks. The Washington-based startup aims to help operators distinguish whether that sound is a harmless rain squall, a passing whale, or a potentially hostile vessel, and to pinpoint its location and speed. The early-stage funding comes from Cortical Ventures, an AI-focused venture capital firm, and private equity firm Scare the Bear. CEO Michael Hunter, a former analyst supporting Navy SEALs and Joint Special Operations Command, said the capital will help the company double its 40-person team to support both government and commercial clients. Unlike most AI systems trained on labeled images or text, underwater acoustic data lacks extensive, well-structured datasets. Spear AI is trying to close that gap by building a hardware-and-software platform that organizes such data so AI algorithms can use it. The startup sells sensors that can be attached to buoys or vessels to collect acoustic signals, along with software tools that help sort, label, and prepare the data for analysis. The U.S. Navy recently awarded Spear AI a $6 million contract for its labeling tool, underscoring the demand for more advanced data processing solutions in defense. The long-term goal is to achieve a real-time AI-driven analysis of underwater environments, a critical edge in both military and commercial maritime operations. Hunter co-founded the company in 2021 with John McGunnigle, a former U.S. Navy nuclear submarine commander. The pair bootstrapped Spear AI until now, prioritizing development over early contracts. "We wanted to build the product and actually get it out the door before the contract came in," Hunter said. "The only way you can do that is with private capital."
The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Spear AI raises first round of funding to apply AI to submarine data
John McGunnigle, co-founder of Spear AI, stands aboard the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine USS New Hampshire, which he commanded before retiring and entering the private sector, in this undated handout image. Spear AI/Handout via REUTERS SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A startup founded by U.S. Navy veterans aiming to help the U.S. military use artificial intelligence to decipher data gathered by submarines has raised its first round of outside capital. Washington-based Spear AI specializes in working with what is known as passive acoustic data, which is gathered by listening devices underwater. Its long-term aim is to use AI to help submarine operators understand whether an object heard could be a rain squall, a whale, or a vessel that could be a threat, and to detect where it is and how fast it is moving. The challenge isthat most existing AI tools are trained on data such as words or images that have been painstakingly labeled and organized over years or decades by companies such as Scale AI, which recently signed a $14.8-billion deal with Meta Platforms. Data from acoustic sensors is different. Spear AI co-founders Michael Hunter, a former U.S. Navy SEAL analyst, and John McGunnigle, a former nuclear submarine commander for the U.S. Navy, are building a hardware and software platform that aims to prepare that data for AI algorithms. The company sells sensors that can be attached to buoys or vessels and a software tool to help label and sort the data gathered by the sensors to make it ready to be put into AI systems. The U.S. Navy this month awarded Spear AI a $6-million contract for its data-labeling tool. Spear AI, founded in 2021, has been self-funded and has about 40 employees. Hunter, the CEO, said it raised $2.3 million from AI-focused venture firm Cortical Ventures and private equity firm Scare the Bear. The funding will be used to double the company's headcount to support its government contracts and commercial business prospects, such as monitoring underwater pipelines and cables. Hunter said Spear AI also aims to sell consulting services, a model similar to defense tech firm Palantir. "We wanted to build the product and actually get it out the door before the contract came in to get it," Hunter told Reuters. "The only way you can do that is with private capital." (Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San FranciscoEditing by Rod Nickel)
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Spear AI raises first round of funding to apply AI to submarine data
By Stephen Nellis SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A startup founded by U.S. Navy veterans aiming to help the U.S. military use artificial intelligence to decipher data gathered by submarines has raised its first round of outside capital. Washington-based Spear AI specializes in working with what is known as passive acoustic data, which is gathered by listening devices underwater. Its long-term aim is to use AI to help submarine operators understand whether an object heard could be a rain squall, a whale, or a vessel that could be a threat, and to detect where it is and how fast it is moving. The challenge is that most existing AI tools are trained on data such as words or images that have been painstakingly labeled and organized over years or decades by companies such as Scale AI, which recently signed a $14.8-billion deal with Meta Platforms. Data from acoustic sensors is different. Spear AI co-founders Michael Hunter, a former U.S. Navy SEAL analyst, and John McGunnigle, a former nuclear submarine commander for the U.S. Navy, are building a hardware and software platform that aims to prepare that data for AI algorithms. The company sells sensors that can be attached to buoys or vessels and a software tool to help label and sort the data gathered by the sensors to make it ready to be put into AI systems. The U.S. Navy this month awarded Spear AI a $6-million contract for its data-labeling tool. Spear AI, founded in 2021, has been self-funded and has about 40 employees. Hunter, the CEO, said it raised $2.3 million from AI-focused venture firm Cortical Ventures and private equity firm Scare the Bear. The funding will be used to double the company's headcount to support its government contracts and commercial business prospects, such as monitoring underwater pipelines and cables. Hunter said Spear AI also aims to sell consulting services, a model similar to defense tech firm Palantir. "We wanted to build the product and actually get it out the door before the contract came in to get it," Hunter told Reuters. "The only way you can do that is with private capital." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Spear AI raises first round of funding to apply AI to submarine data
By Stephen Nellis SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -A startup founded by U.S. Navy veterans aiming to help the U.S. military use artificial intelligence to decipher data gathered by submarines has raised its first round of outside capital. Washington-based Spear AI specializes in working with what is known as passive acoustic data, which is gathered by listening devices underwater. Its long-term aim is to use AI to help submarine operators understand whether an object heard could be a rain squall, a whale, or a vessel that could be a threat, and to detect where it is and how fast it is moving. The challenge is that most existing AI tools are trained on data such as words or images that have been painstakingly labeled and organized over years or decades by companies such as Scale AI, which recently signed a $14.8-billion deal with Meta Platforms. Data from acoustic sensors is different. Spear AI co-founders Michael Hunter, a former U.S. Navy SEAL analyst, and John McGunnigle, a former nuclear submarine commander for the U.S. Navy, are building a hardware and software platform that aims to prepare that data for AI algorithms. The company sells sensors that can be attached to buoys or vessels and a software tool to help label and sort the data gathered by the sensors to make it ready to be put into AI systems. The U.S. Navy this month awarded Spear AI a $6-million contract for its data-labeling tool. Spear AI, founded in 2021, has been self-funded and has about 40 employees. Hunter, the CEO, said it raised $2.3 million from AI-focused venture firm Cortical Ventures and private equity firm Scare the Bear. The funding will be used to double the company's headcount to support its government contracts and commercial business prospects, such as monitoring underwater pipelines and cables. Hunter said Spear AI also aims to sell consulting services, a model similar to defense tech firm Palantir. "We wanted to build the product and actually get it out the door before the contract came in to get it," Hunter told Reuters. "The only way you can do that is with private capital." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNA
4 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Spear AI raises first round of funding to apply AI to submarine data
SAN FRANCISCO :A startup founded by U.S. Navy veterans aiming to help the U.S. military use artificial intelligence to decipher data gathered by submarines has raised its first round of outside capital. Washington-based Spear AI specializes in working with what is known as passive acoustic data, which is gathered by listening devices underwater. Its long-term aim is to use AI to help submarine operators understand whether an object heard could be a rain squall, a whale, or a vessel that could be a threat, and to detect where it is and how fast it is moving. The challenge is that most existing AI tools are trained on data such as words or images that have been painstakingly labeled and organized over years or decades by companies such as Scale AI, which recently signed a $14.8-billion deal with Meta Platforms. Data from acoustic sensors is different. Spear AI co-founders Michael Hunter, a former U.S. Navy SEAL analyst, and John McGunnigle, a former nuclear submarine commander for the U.S. Navy, are building a hardware and software platform that aims to prepare that data for AI algorithms. The company sells sensors that can be attached to buoys or vessels and a software tool to help label and sort the data gathered by the sensors to make it ready to be put into AI systems. The U.S. Navy this month awarded Spear AI a $6-million contract for its data-labeling tool. Spear AI, founded in 2021, has been self-funded and has about 40 employees. Hunter, the CEO, said it raised $2.3 million from AI-focused venture firm Cortical Ventures and private equity firm Scare the Bear. The funding will be used to double the company's headcount to support its government contracts and commercial business prospects, such as monitoring underwater pipelines and cables. Hunter said Spear AI also aims to sell consulting services, a model similar to defense tech firm Palantir. "We wanted to build the product and actually get it out the door before the contract came in to get it," Hunter told Reuters. "The only way you can do that is with private capital."
