Where is Hermeus headquartered?

Hermeus is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The company has a team of 101-500 people.

When was Hermeus founded?

Hermeus was founded in 2018. It is based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

Who is the CEO of Hermeus?

Zach Shore is the CEO of Hermeus. The company was founded in 2018.

Where is Hermeus located?

Hermeus is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

What funding stage is Hermeus at?

Hermeus is currently at the Growth Stage stage.

How many employees does Hermeus have?

Hermeus has approximately 101-500 employees.

Hermeus

Category: AI in Defense / Aerospace

Hermeus is a venture-backed defense aviation company developing high-Mach and hypersonic unmanned aircraft for national security missions, using turbine-based combined cycle propulsion. Hermeus was founded in 2018. The company is led by Zach Shore. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: $500.0M. Latest round: Series C. Key investors include Khosla Ventures, Canaan Partners, Founders Fund, Sam Altman, In-Q-Tel, RTX Ventures, Bling Capital, Revolution's Rise of the Rest, Cox Enterprises / Socium Ventures, Destiny Tech100, Georgia Tech Foundation, 137 Ventures.

Founded: 2018
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Team size: 101-500
Total funding: $500.0M

Value proposition

Developing the world's fastest aircraft using rapid iterative prototyping and mature technologies to deliver affordable, reusable hypersonic aircraft for defense missions.

Products and solutions

Quarterhorse (high-Mach flight test aircraft, Mk 0-3 variants), Darkhorse (multi-mission reusable hypersonic UAS for defense), Chimera / Chimera II (turbine-based combined cycle engine, part turbojet part ramjet), Halcyon (future hypersonic passenger aircraft concept)

Unique value

Only company combining a modified Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan with proprietary precooler and ramjet technology in a turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC) engine, enabling takeoff-to-hypersonic speeds from conventional runways with reusability.

Target customer

U.S. Department of War (DoD), U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), allied defense organizations

Industries served

Defense / Aerospace, National Security, Future Commercial Aviation

Technology advantage

Turbine-Based Combined Cycle (TBCC) engine (Chimera) using modified Pratt & Whitney F100 with proprietary precooler technology; rapid iterative hardware prototyping approach (designed, built, and flew Quarterhorse Mk 1 in 7 months); first privately-developed unmanned supersonic jet (May 2026); fastest company from founding to supersonic flight in aviation history.

How they differentiate

Unlike rocket-powered hypersonic competitors, Hermeus' air-breathing TBCC engine enables reusable operations from conventional runways. The company uses a hardware-first, rapid-iteration approach (inspired by SpaceX/NewSpace) rather than traditional slow aerospace development cycles. They leverage mature, off-the-shelf engine technology (F100 with 30M+ flight hours) rather than building entirely novel propulsion from scratch.

Main competitors

Venus Aerospace, Boom Supersonic, Destinus, New Frontier Aerospace

Key partnerships

Pratt & Whitney / RTX (F100 engine supply and strategic investment via RTX Ventures), Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) ($219M contract), U.S. Air Force ($60M contract), U.S. Navy, Khosla Ventures (lead VC partner)

Notable customers

U.S. Department of War, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)

Major milestones

2018: Company founded, 2019: Seed round led by Khosla Ventures, 2020: $16M Series A led by Canaan Partners, 2021: $60M U.S. Air Force contract, 2022: $100M Series B led by Sam Altman, 2022: Chimera engine test success, 2024: Quarterhorse Mk 1 unveiled, 2025: First flight of Quarterhorse Mk 1 at Edwards AFB, 2026-03: Quarterhorse Mk 2.1 first flight, 2026-04: $350M Series C at $1B valuation, 2026-05: First unmanned supersonic flight, 2026-05: $219M DIU contract expansion

Market positioning

Leading venture-backed defense aviation company focused on high-Mach unmanned aircraft, positioned as a key supplier to the U.S. Department of War for next-generation high-speed capabilities.

Geographic focus

United States (primary); global defense markets

About Zach Shore

AJ Piplica (Founder, now Executive Chairman): Ex-CEO of Generation Orbit Launch Services, led development of X-60A USAF hypersonic X-plane; aerospace engineer at SpaceWorks; B.S. and M.S. Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech. Zach Shore (CEO as of June 2026): previously served as President of Hermeus.

Latest news about Hermeus

Hermeus secured $350 M in Series C funding, valuing the startup at $1 B as it scales production of turbine‑based combined‑cycle hypersonic drones. The hybrid turbojet‑ramjet engine targets Mach 5 spee

More AI in Defense / Aerospace companies

Official website: https://hermeus.com