Defense Biotech Startup Warhound Raises $200M to Clone and Genetically Engineer Military Dogs

Warhound, a new defense startup backed by Colossal Biosciences founder Ben Lamm and Anduril's Palmer Luckey, has raised $200M at a $1.2B valuation to clone and genetically enhance military working dogs. Led by former Department of Defense Chief Data Officer Dave Spirk, the venture plans to clone top-performing canines and edit their genetics to reduce negative traits like hip dysplasia and muscle atrophy. The U.S. military currently acquires more than 80% of its working dogs from European breeders, facing dwindling overseas supplies and a 55% failure rate during rigorous training. The startup has already biobanked its first cell lines, projecting it will produce its first genetically edited dogs in the coming months and deploy a finished canine in two years. The cloned dogs will reportedly be equipped with high-tech hardware developed by Anduril, explicitly including a canine companion to its Eagle Eye mixed-reality helmet. "As humans have bred dogs for traits, sometimes that introduces positive mutations and sometimes negative mutations." — Ben Lamm