Obviant Raises $7.1M in Funding to Scale its Data Intelligence Platform for Defense Acquisition, Contracting and Budgeting
Obviant, the data intelligence platform transforming how industry and government leverage U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition, contracting and budgeting data today announced $7.1 million in seed funding. The round was led by Shield Capital with participation from Motivate Venture Capital, A*, New Vista Capital, Aloft Venture Capital, and Underdog Labs.
AI Enables Decision Edge for the Defense Market
Today, more than ever, with defense budgets at record highs and the defense technology sector rapidly expanding, companies and investors need real-time data on opportunities. In addition, the Department of Defense (DoD) needs real-time data to assess how effectively its budget supports its strategies and priorities. Clarity and timeliness in Pentagon acquisitions have been elusive due to data silos, legacy systems, and fragmented documentation often organized around outdated programs rather than mission need or capability.
Obviant’s AI-powered platform changes that—bringing real-time transparency and context to the defense procurement ecosystem. By ingesting and unifying data from thousands of sources—such as program documents, defense budget justification books, and Congressional reports—Obviant delivers a comprehensive and coherent picture of acquisition, contracting, and budgeting information across the DoD. Further, this data can be aggregated by missions or programs such as contested logistics or Golden Dome, which highlight opportunities. Obviant combines open-source intelligence (OSINT) and customers’ own data with AI-driven context and reasoning to transform defense procurement, giving customers a decisive edge in understanding and pursuing opportunities.
This investment in Obviant comes as the defense sector is rapidly expanding to include more companies supplying emerging technologies. Obviant customers already include high-growth defense startups, primes, global investment firms, defense advisory firms, think tanks, and multiple government agencies, all seeking faster and smarter ways to navigate and comprehend the $1 trillion+ U.S. defense market.
“We are at a historic inflection point for defense acquisition,” said Brendan Karp, Co-founder and CEO of Obviant. “For the best capabilities to get to warfighters more rapidly, leaders across industry and government need real-time, actionable data—not guesswork or hand-built spreadsheets. Obviant's mission is to provide that source of truth and underlying trends, so technology, policy, and investment can finally move at the speed of relevance.”
Michael Brown, a Partner at Shield Capital and former Director of the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit said, “Success in selling to the DoD has been difficult because there is no real-time ‘single source of truth’ about spending on defense mission capabilities or new technologies like resilient communications or unmanned systems. Obviant’s solution unlocks better understanding of the spending on these capabilities—at any level of granularity or aggregation—to ensure better decisions.”
Obviant is already empowering defense tech firms to align capabilities with sources of funding, supplying investors with diligence-ready analysis and market sizing, and helping DoD offices visualize portfolios and streamline technology transitions. With this recent funding, Obviant will expand its team, advance the AI capabilities of its platform, and broaden its customer base—transforming how companies, investors, and government leaders make more informed decisions across the defense sector.
About Obviant
Obviant is a data intelligence platform that combines open-source intelligence (OSINT) on defense acquisition, contracting, and budgeting with customers’ own data, serving as the source of truth for decision-makers. By delivering real-time, accurate, and actionable insight across Department of Defense programs, Obviant empowers technology companies, investors, and government leaders to align capabilities with mission needs.
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