Backed by $26 million in pre-seed and seed funding, Dominion Dynamics plans to advance its technology aimed at defending the Canadian Arctic, hire hundreds more engineers, and open a 25,000-square-foot factory in Kanata.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the Ottawa-based defence-tech startup announced that it had raised $21 million in seed funding, which it will use to accelerate the deployment of \u201cAuranet,\u201d a network of sensors and autonomous systems designed to monitor Canada\u2019s northern frontier, as well as a drone designed to pair with fifth-generation fighter jets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The seed round was led by Georgian, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners and British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), and is one of the largest early-stage investments in the defence sector, according to a news release from Dominion, which has raised $26 million in total since launching last year.<\/p>\n
The company was founded by Eliot Pence, a general partner at Washington, D.C.-based Tofino Capital who previously spearheaded U.S. defence firm Anduril Industries\u2019 international expansion from 2018 to 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since its launch, Dominion has produced a network of sensors that allow Canadian Rangers to transit data from regions that lack communications infrastructure such as cellphone towers. The firm specializes in small devices similar to Apple AirTags that can be attached to cellphones and cameras. The sensors capture data such as videos and voice notes and send it to armed forces members at nearby bases, where software can then create a 3D map of rangers\u2019 movements in real time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are building systems that can scale, talk to each other, and be risked in combat,\u201d said Pence in Monday\u2019s release. \u201cFuture deterrence will depend on speed of fielding, economic advantage, and the ability to operate across domains.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company has completed successful field trials in northern Ontario and is currently deployed in the Yukon, validating its systems for use by Canada and NATO partners.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefence is no longer just about hardware; it is about software, data, and speed,\u201d said Margaret Wu, lead investor at Georgian, in Monday\u2019s release. \u201cIn our view, Dominion Dynamics represents the future of the Canadian ecosystem: deep tech, dual-use, and mission-critical. We are backing a team that is fundamentally reimagining how Canada and its allies protect their interests.\u201d<\/p>\n