SEGMENT 05, DEFENCE & GOVERNMENT · Last updated 26 October 2026

Vannevar Labs

Defence software company built by former intelligence-community staff. Its Decrypt platform organises and translates foreign-language information for military and intelligence users.

HQ
San Francisco, California, USA
Status
Private
NDAA
not applicable

Not a US procurement target; NDAA framework does not apply.

Key Facts

HeadquartersSan Francisco, CaliforniaReported as Palo Alto when it emerged from stealth in 2019[2]
Emerged From StealthSeptember 2019$4.5 million seed from General Catalyst and Costanoa Ventures[1]
Founders' BackgroundIntelligence communityBrett Granberg spent two years at In-Q-Tel; Nini Moorhead spent seven years as a counterterrorism officer[1]
Series B$75 million, led by Felicis VenturesJanuary 2023[2]
Total Raised (Jan 2023)More than $90 million[2]
Decrypt DeploymentMore than 15 government agenciesAnd more than 15 military bases, per the company (January 2023)[2]
Revenue ClaimMore than $25 million a year from DecryptCompany-stated in January 2023, along with profitability; not audited[2]
Marine Corps Use15th Marine Expeditionary UnitUsed a Vannevar AI tool on its 2024 Pacific deployment to track foreign-media mentions of the unit, with summaries to commanders about every two weeks[3]

FUNDING HISTORY

Series B, $75 million[2]

January 2023 · Felicis Ventures

Series A, $20 million[2]

August 2021

Seed, $4.5 million[1]

September 2019 · General Catalyst and Costanoa Ventures

PRODUCTS

Decrypt[2]

Flagship platform, launched in early 2021, that organises information collected by the intelligence community and translates foreign-language text.

LEADERSHIP

Brett Granberg, Co-founder and CEO[2]

Nini Moorhead, Co-founder[1]

Drone Intelligence Assessment

Vannevar Labs is not a drone company. It works in defence intelligence software, the analysis layer that sits alongside uncrewed systems rather than inside them. It came out of stealth in 2019 with a $4.5 million seed, and its two founders came from the intelligence community: Brett Granberg from In-Q-Tel and Nini Moorhead from seven years as a counterterrorism officer.

Its flagship, Decrypt, organises and translates foreign-language information. By January 2023 the company said Decrypt was deployed across more than 15 government agencies and more than 15 military bases, earned more than $25 million a year and had made the company profitable. Those figures are company-stated. The same month it raised a $75 million Series B led by Felicis Ventures, taking total funding past $90 million. In 2024 the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit used a Vannevar tool on its Pacific deployment to track how foreign media covered the unit.

DI analysis: for drone buyers the relevance is the software budget line that sits beside the airframe. The sources reviewed tie Vannevar to intelligence analysis, not to drone autonomy or targeting, and give no audited revenue or funding after 2023, so treat later valuation claims seen elsewhere with caution until a primary source confirms them.

INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT

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Drone Intelligence, Company Profile. Compiled from public filings, company disclosures and specialist reporting. Last updated 26 October 2026.

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