Booz Allen backs Noda AI to expand its autonomy ecosystem

Booz Allen Ventures has made a strategic Series A investment in NODA AI, an Austin, Texas-based autonomy orchestration company that serves as an integration layer for military operators to coordinate heterogeneous, multi-domain autonomous systems across any platform or provider.

The investment adds to Booz Allen’s portfolio of startups advancing autonomous systems for the Department of War. The DoW this week announced a $55 billion plan to fund autonomous capabilities, including orchestration, aligning with NODA’s core technology and the firm’s efforts to scale and deploy mission-ready autonomy.

“We are laser-focused on operationalizing autonomy for DoW,” said Randy Yamada, a vice president within Booz Allen’s Defense Technology Group and leader of Booz Allen’s autonomy portfolio. “NODA provides an important layer within the technology stack, and their capabilities will be increasingly important as autonomous platforms become pervasive throughout national security missions.”

NODA was previously assessed and selected as the sole orchestrator for the Department of War’s Multi-domain Collaborative Autonomy program and continues evaluation work for several key DoW programs.

“Booz Allen’s investment validates what our operators already know—that the decisive advantage in autonomous warfare isn’t necessarily the platforms themselves, it’s the orchestration layer that understands a set of platform capabilities, as well as how to marry those capabilities to create a cohesive joint force,” said Philong Duong, CEO and co-founder of NODA AI. “Our partnership with Booz Allen Ventures accelerates our ability to deliver superior combat capability and decision dominance at scale.”

Launched in 2022, Booz Allen Ventures invests in early-stage startups focused on AI, defense tech, deep tech, cybersecurity, space, and reindustrialization. The fund tripled to $300 million last year.