Epirus

Epirus

Develops directed-energy and HPM counter-UAS systems

Overview

Epirus focuses on advanced directed energy systems and power management for defense and commercial power markets. Its Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) system counters electronic threats, especially drones, by emitting targeted electromagnetic energy to disable or neutralize adversary electronics. The technology is validated through testing and is deployed through sales to defense contractors and government agencies, often under long-term contracts and strategic partnerships. Epirus differentiates itself through deep collaborations with major defense players (notably Northrop Grumman) which integrates Epirus’ EMP capabilities into broader counter-UAS solutions. The company has attracted investment from defense and tech-focused firms, signaling growth potential. Epirus’ goal is to deliver reliable directed energy solutions and scalable power management to protect assets and enable new defense and commercial power applications.

About Epirus

Simplify's Rating
Why Epirus is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Hardware

Industrial & Manufacturing

Energy

Defense

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Series D

Total Funding

$548.4M

Headquarters

Hawthorne, California

Founded

2018

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • July 17, 2025 Army awarded Epirus $43.5 million for IFPC-HPM Generation II.
  • January 27, 2026 DSTA MOU opens Singapore testing and Indo-Pacific expansion.
  • March 27, 2026 CMMC Level 2 certification improves access to U.S. defense contracts.

What critics are saying

  • March 2026 AGV remains a prototype; no procurement, pricing, or delivery schedule exists.
  • Army and JIATF-401 dependence concentrates revenue; procurement delays or cancellations hit Epirus hard.
  • Anduril, traditional primes, and cheaper interceptors pressure HPM adoption by 2027.

What makes Epirus unique

  • Leonidas uses software-defined high-power microwave effects, defeating swarms without interceptors.
  • Epirus paired Leonidas with GDLS and Kodiak AI for autonomous mobile counter-UAS.
  • June 2026 Cuyler and Horton hires signal production-scale operations and workforce discipline.

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Funding

Total Funding

$548.4M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

12 Rounds

Series D funding is typically for companies that are already well-established but need more funding to continue their growth. This round is often used to stabilize the company or prepare for an IPO.
Series D Funding Comparison
Above Average

Industry standards

$77M
$70M
Twilio
$80M
Handshake
$100M
Affirm
$250M
Epirus

Benefits

Medical, vision, & dental

HSA & FSA plans

401k

Stock options

Electronics stipend

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

On-site gym

Daily catered lunches & stocked kitchen

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

-3%
Epirus
Jun 8th, 2026
Epirus names Mark Cuyler Chief Operating Officer and Mark Horton Chief People Officer.

Epirus names Mark Cuyler Chief Operating Officer and Mark Horton Chief People Officer. Cuyler and Horton bring decades of operational and people leadership experience to Epirus as company accelerates production and scales workforce Los Angeles, Calif - June 8, 2026 - Epirus today announced the appointments of Mark Cuyler as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Mark Horton as Chief People Officer (CPO), strengthening the company's leadership bench as global demand for the Leonidas high-power microwave platform grows. "Epirus is moving into a new phase of operational scale, and we need leaders who have built at this level before. Mark Cuyler has spent his career turning advanced technology programs into production realities. Mark Horton has built people functions at some of the most innovative companies in the world. Together, they give us the foundation to execute at the pace our mission demands," said Andy Lowery, Epirus CEO. Cuyler brings more than 30 years of experience scaling advanced technology programs across aerospace, defense, autonomous systems and mobility. Most recently as COO of Saildrone, he oversaw operations and program execution, driving operational and revenue growth. Prior to Saildrone, Cuyler directed Amazon's global electric delivery vehicle program, including a custom EV platform developed with Rivian. Earlier in his career, he helped launch Tesla's Model S production systems and spent nearly 15 years leading manufacturing initiatives at General Motors. "Epirus is at an inflection point - the technology is proven and the demand is real. The focus now is executing at scale," said Mark Cuyler, Epirus COO. "That's exactly the work I've focused my career on, and I look forward to building the operational infrastructure that gets Epirus technology deployed globally." Horton brings deep experience helping high-growth technology companies scale through periods of rapid expansion and transformation. Most recently, he served as Head of People at Magic AI, where he helped build the leadership and operating foundations to support the company's rapid growth. Prior to Magic, Horton was part of the leadership team at SpaceX, supporting growth across the Starship, Starshield, Starlink, Falcon and Dragon programs. Previously, he held leadership positions at Noom and Citadel, partnering with executive teams on leadership development, operating models and scaling high-performing organizations. "Epirus is entering a period of significant growth, and scaling the organization to meet that opportunity is both an exciting challenge and a tremendous responsibility," said Mark Horton, Epirus CPO. "The company has built a strong foundation, and I'm excited to help strengthen the leadership, talent and operating capabilities that will support the next phase of growth." About Epirus Epirus is a high-growth technology company dedicated to overcoming the asymmetric challenges inherent to the future of national security. Epirus' flagship technology, Leonidas, is a software defined, energy-based high-power microwave platform, built using intelligent power management techniques which allow power-hungry systems to do more with less. For more information on Epirus' solutions or to request an interview with subject matter experts, please contact [email protected].

Blue Field Media
Apr 11th, 2026
Counter-UAV: Epirus engages Colombia, also works with GDLS and Kodiak AI for Leonidas AGV.

Counter-UAV: Epirus engages Colombia, also works with GDLS and Kodiak AI for Leonidas AGV. 11 April, 2026 Three major defense companies, Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), and Kodiak AI, have teamed up to develop a new autonomous vehicle for counter-uncrewed aerial vehicles (Counter-UAV) missions: the Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV). The vehicle was unveiled at the recent AUSA Global Force Symposium & Exhibition expo in Alabama. Zona Militar spoke with Andrew Wargofchik, spokesperson for Epirus, about the Leonidas AGV and the company's projects in Latin America. Regarding Colombia, Wargofchik explained that Epirus is engaging the Colombian Ministry of Defense regarding the "potential of integrating" the company's high-power microwave (HPM) platform "into their counter-UAS shield." The company is confident that other Latin American militaries and security services will similarly be interested in Epirus's systems to combat drones operated by criminal gangs and narco-insurgents. The so-called narco-drones can transport explosives, drugs, or be utilized for surveillance missions. "The Leonidas high-power microwave platform is capable of supporting the Latin American counter-UAS initiatives" aimed at eliminating these threats. Wargofchik explained that the company's technology is "scalable and modular, and works by injecting high levels of microwave energy into a precise volume of space, coupling directly into the electronics of incoming threats. Latin American militaries are very interested in counter-UAV technologies. Case in point, the Colombian Ministry of Defense is seeking to develop a counter-UAV "national shield," while the Ecuadorian air force recently completed a training course on counter-UAV missions. As for the Leonidas AGV, the platform combines technologies from the three companies: GDLS provides the commercial-grade truck platform, Kodiak AI provides the autonomous driving system, and the payload is Epirus' Leonidas high-power microwave system, designed to counter UAV threats. A press release issued by the three companies describes the AGV as a "mobile counter-UAS capability that can be operated without human intervention or teleoperated to extend the counter-UAS line of defense across fixed-site and expeditionary mission sets." The Leonidas AGV can defeat single, swarm, or fiber-controlled drone attacks and is ideal for protecting a variety of locations, including military installations and forward operating bases. According to Epirus, integration of the systems and platforms of the three companies "took less than four months." As for the future of the Leonidas AGV, Wargofchik confirmed to Zona Militar that the three companies are "planning Leonidas AGV testing events in the coming months to further mature the system and demonstrate its counter-UAS and shoot-on-the-move capabilities," without providing specific details. The spokesperson did confirm that Epirus will be present at the upcoming Sea Air Space expo at the National Harbor in Maryland (near Washington, DC) to showcase its systems to the US Navy. Zona Militar also asked about the US military's response to the Leonidas AGV. To summarize, the response was "overwhelmingly positive" due to Leonidas AGV's mobility, autonomy, and commercial development timeline, which "directly answers the modernization calls of the Department of War and US Army." Wargofchik explained that the "Leonidas AGV is well-suited for a range of multi-service missions, including JIATF-401 homeland defense applications" as well as the defense of US Air Force assets and military installations. The company has continued to test and showcase Leonidas's capabilities through a variety of demonstrations and tests, including a December 2025 live-fire demonstration at an undisclosed US government testing site. The target was a fiber-optic guided UAV, which has become quite popular in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Also, last year, on 26 August, 2025, the company carried out another demonstration, this time against a swarm of UAVs. According to the company, Leonidas was tested against 61 drones across five operationally relevant flight scenarios. The result was very successful, as Leonidas managed to disable 61 of 61 drones and defeat a 49-drone swarm. Publicidad Sepa cómo ha sido su nivel de glucosa y cómo será de aquí en adelante.Dexcom G7 15 Day muestra cuándo su glucosa está subiendo o bajando, para que pueda tomar decisiones más fundamentadas. Haga clic para obtener la información de seguridad.Dexcom | Patrocinado Se ha demostrado que Dexcom G7 15 Day reduce la A1C y aumenta el periodo dentro del rango.[3−7]Dexcom G7 15 Day muestra cómo los alimentos, la actividad y los medicamentos afectan la glucosa en tiempo real para que pueda tener un futuro más saludable. Haga clic para obtener la información de seguridad.Dexcom | Patrocinado

Associated Press
Mar 24th, 2026
Epirus, General Dynamics and Kodiak AI unveil autonomous counter-drone vehicle with high-power microwave system

Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems and Kodiak AI have unveiled Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle, a fully autonomous counter-drone system designed for critical point defence and homeland security missions. The mobile platform combines Epirus' high-power microwave technology with Kodiak's autonomous driving system, integrated by General Dynamics Land Systems. Leonidas AGV can operate without human intervention to defend military installations, airports, ports and energy infrastructure against individual drones or swarm attacks. The system uses electromagnetic interference to neutralise threats without expending interceptors, whilst autonomous navigation enables dynamic repositioning and continuous coverage. The vehicle can manoeuvre across structured highways and unstructured off-road environments. A full-scale prototype will be displayed at the AUSA Global Force Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama.

GlobeNewswire
Mar 24th, 2026
Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems and Kodiak AI unveil new autonomous HPM system for counter-uas.

Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems and Kodiak AI unveil new autonomous HPM system for counter-uas. Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV) combines Epirus' Leonidas high-power microwave platform, the Kodiak Driver autonomous system and General Dynamics Land Systems' system integration expertise to deliver a mobile, autonomous counter-UAS capability. LOS ANGELES, March 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Epirus, General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) and Kodiak AI (Kodiak) today unveiled Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV), a mobile, fully autonomous vehicle for counter-UAS, critical point defense and homeland security missions. Leonidas AGV features Epirus' Leonidas high-power microwave platform integrated onto a commercial-grade truck platform equipped with Kodiak's AI-powered autonomous driving system, the Kodiak Driver. General Dynamics Land Systems served as lead system integrator. Leonidas AGV delivers a mobile counter-UAS capability that can be operated without human intervention or teleoperated to extend the counter-UAS line of defense across fixed-site and expeditionary mission sets. Designed for autonomous critical point defense counter-UAS operations, Leonidas AGV can rapidly deploy to pre-planned intercept points or maneuver across a perimeter to protect critical assets from the threat of individual, swarm or fiber-optic controlled drone attacks. Leonidas AGV is well-suited for a range of missions, including defense of military installations, forward operating bases, airports, ports, energy infrastructure and major public events. The system's autonomous and teleoperation modes allow operators to scale coverage, reposition dynamically and maintain continuous coverage from drone threats. Leonidas AGV showcases the modularity and scalability of Epirus' Leonidas high-power microwave platform, a tested and proven counter-UAS solution that delivers software-defined electromagnetic interference effects to precisely neutralize drone threats. Leonidas safely defeats individual drones and saturation swarm attacks without expending costly and limited interceptors, creating a resilient and low-collateral close-in defense layer for critical assets and infrastructure. The industry-leading, dual-use Kodiak Driver system enables Leonidas AGV to operate autonomously across a range of complex environments, from structured highways to unstructured off-road environments and everything in between. The system's modular architecture ensures reliable and safe movement in areas where human operation may be inefficient or unsafe. With advanced perception and autonomous navigation, Kodiak Driver allows Leonidas AGV to maneuver dynamically and maintain uninterrupted counter-UAS coverage in contested environments. "Saturation drone attacks demand a fundamentally different approach to defense," said Andy Lowery, CEO of Epirus. "Leonidas AGV combines autonomous mobility with high-power microwave effects to deliver a counter-UAS capability that rapidly maneuvers to defeat drone swarms without more boots on the ground. Together with GDLS and Kodiak, we're enabling a new layer of autonomous drone defense for critical assets and infrastructure." "We partner with other companies so we can provide best-in-class capabilities to the Army - and the Leonidas AGV is a timely example," said Keith Barclay, Vice President and General Manager for U.S. Operations at General Dynamics Land Systems. "Integrating leading-edge technology from Epirus and Kodiak into a commercial-based vehicle is one way to ensure American soldiers have the power to win on the battlefield. At GDLS, we're moving faster than ever before, and we think there's a great future for commercially inspired innovations such as Leonidas AGV." "Autonomous mobility fundamentally changes how advanced defensive systems can be deployed and operated," said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak AI. "By integrating the Kodiak Driver with Epirus' Leonidas platform and GDLS' integration expertise, we are demonstrating how commercially developed autonomy enables mobile counter-UAS capabilities that protect critical assets and keep warfighters out of harm's way. This collaboration directly meets the U.S. military's need for scalable, adaptable and cost-effective autonomous ground vehicles." A full-scale Leonidas AGV prototype will be on display at Booth 801 at the AUSA Global Force Symposium & Exhibition in Huntsville, Alabama. About Epirus: Epirus is a high-growth technology company dedicated to overcoming the asymmetric challenges inherent to the future of national security. Epirus' flagship technology, Leonidas, is a software defined, energy-based high-power microwave platform, built using intelligent power management techniques that allow power-hungry systems to do more with less. For more information on Epirus' solutions or to request an interview with subject matter experts, please contact [email protected]. About General Dynamics Land Systems: Land Systems is a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD). Land Systems provides innovative design, engineering, technology, production, fielding and full life-cycle support for land combat vehicles around the globe. The company's extensive experience, customer-first focus and seasoned supply chain network provide unmatched capabilities to the U.S. military and its allies. About Kodiak AI, Inc. Kodiak AI (NASDAQ: KDK) was founded in 2018 and is a leading provider of AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology that is designed to help tackle some of the toughest driving jobs. Kodiak's driverless solution can help address the critical problem of safely transporting goods in the face of unprecedented supply chain challenges. Kodiak's vision is to become the trusted world leader in autonomous ground transportation. Kodiak is committed to a safer and more efficient future for all through the commercialization of driverless trucking at scale. To that end, Kodiak developed the Kodiak Driver, a virtual driver that combines advanced AI-powered software with modular and vehicle-agnostic hardware designed to help address Kodiak's customers' needs. The Kodiak Driver is not just an idea - it is operating without a human driver today. Kodiak serves customers in both commercial trucking and the public sector. In 2024, Kodiak believes it achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first company to deploy customer-owned and -operated driverless trucks in commercial service. The Kodiak Driver is also being utilized in the public sector, where Kodiak believes it can support national security initiatives and critical government applications. Kodiak's press kit with videos and images can be found HERE. Kodiak Media Contacts Kodiak AI Investor Relations

Defense Daily
Mar 24th, 2026
Epirus, GD and Kodiak unveil autonomous directed energy system for domestic C-UAS use.

Epirus, GD and Kodiak unveil autonomous directed energy system for domestic C-UAS use. Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 Epirus, General Dynamics [GD] and Kodiak AI on Tuesday introduced an autonomous pickup truck with a high-power microwave (HPM) for point defense against small drone threats in the United States. The Leonidas Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV) features Epirus' Leonidas HPM array that GD's Land Systems division integrated into a commercial-grade pickup truck with Kodiak's autonomous driving technology. "All the things that the Army has talked about defending, making sure that our mobilization and readiness can be defended from railhead to... Not a subscriber or registered user yet? Please contact us at [email protected] or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.

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