Anduril Alumni Raise $24M in Series A Funding to Transform Military Logistics Beyond Excel Spreadsheets

Silicon Valley is sharpening its focus on defense in response to rising geopolitical tensions and a heightened interest in modern warfare technologies. While numerous startups achieving impressive valuations concentrate on hardware and weaponry—like Anduril, Shield AI, and Skydio—Rune Technologies is set on innovating AI-driven software for military logistics.

“At present, the U.S. military manages logistics using Excel spreadsheets, whiteboards, and manual systems,” co-founder David Tuttle explained to TechCrunch. “Logistics isn’t the most glamorous side of the military. The tech sector usually highlights how to build powerful weapon systems and create explosions.”

Tuttle pointed out that logistics frequently trails behind in terms of innovation. With experience as a field artillery officer in the U.S. Army, followed by a tenure with the Joint Special Operations Command and later at Anduril where he met co-founder Peter Goldsborough, a former Meta software engineer, Tuttle is well-versed in the landscape. They founded Rune after recognizing the rapid advancements in modern warfare and the escalating requirements for military logistics.

“The conflict in Ukraine showcases the considerable consumption of munitions and supplies in engagements with near-peer adversaries—this will put pressure on traditional human-centric and analog processing methods,” Tuttle mentioned.

Rune’s flagship product, TyrOS, aims to transform manual logistics workflows into intelligent supply networks that can anticipate future needs, optimize resources, and manage operations from a disconnected laptop in remote areas.

The startup has successfully completed a $24 million Series A funding round after pilot deployments with the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps. This funding round, led by Human Capital with backing from Pax VC, Washington Harbour Partners, a16z, Point72 Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital, and Forward Deployed VC, will aid in expanding TyrOS across additional branches of the U.S. military.

TyrOS offers two primary advantages. The first advantage is its technical capabilities, serving as a mission command system for logistics, leveraging deep learning models, including time series forecasts, to predict supply and demand for resources such as personnel, vehicles, equipment, food, and more, based on various environmental and supply variables.

“A logistician considers not only what supplies are at hand but also what vehicles are available for transport,” Tuttle explained. “They consider, ‘What skilled crews do I have for those vehicles? What routes will they take, and are those routes evaluated for security risks? Is there a blown bridge I need to plan around?”

Tuttle noted that Rune’s team, with two-thirds being veterans, is also incorporating generative AI into TyrOS for “course of action generation.” This enables the system to analyze large datasets in real-world combat scenarios, allowing logistics personnel and commanders to retrieve information as needed. While large language models (LLMs) have made significant advancements, TyrOS still leans on conventional mathematical optimization for specific tasks that require accurate calculations, such as planning aircraft loads based on volume and other criteria.

The second significant advantage of TyrOS is its edge-first architecture, which removes the need for continuous connectivity to remote servers, enabling it to function independently and synchronize when a connection is available. In essence, TyrOS is “cloud-capable but does not depend on the cloud.”

“Creating software in a cloud environment is entirely different from developing software intended to run on laptops in jungles with Marines or soldiers,” Tuttle remarked.

TyrOS is also agnostic regarding both cloud and hardware, effortlessly working on the military’s existing record-keeping systems for smoother integration, according to Tuttle.

He mentioned that Rune’s investors include executives from Palantir and Anduril, providing substantial opportunities for collaboration. Recently, Rune was chosen for the Palantir Startup Fellowship and integrated with Palantir’s Defense OSDK (Ontology Software Development Kit) to improve automated logistics from tactical to strategic levels.

Automating the connection between tactical intelligence and strategic decision-making is Rune’s long-term aspiration.

“My concern goes beyond ensuring operations for the next 30 or 60 days; I look ahead to how this impacts production decisions in the defense supply chain. That’s our broader vision—to determine how to channel tactical-level data up to operational and strategic levels to potentially influence artillery shell production,” Tuttle concluded.

Clarification: Peter Goldsborough serves as a volunteer in the U.S. Marine Corps Cyber Auxiliary.

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