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Robot maker · early

Theseus

Defense marketsecurityCurated record
theseus.tech

Theseus builds a Visual Navigation System (VNS) that enables drones to operate autonomously in GPS-denied environments by fusing onboard cameras, inertial sensors, and pre-loaded satellite imagery to compute position fixes entirely passively. The system emits no RF signature, is immune to jamming, and integrates with any existing drone in under 30 minutes by generating a synthetic GPS signal. Theseus initially targets military and defence applications, with US Special Forces as early paying customers and eight figures in DoD FY25 funding requests. The company plans to expand to commercial inspection and civil applications.

HeadquartersSan Francisco, US
Founded2024
Defense funding$4M
Team2-10
Deployments0
Open roles0
01

Company overview

Identity and operating footprint

Company typeRobot maker
Market segmentDefense
StageSeed
FoundersIan Laffey (CEO), Carl Schoeller (Co-founder), Sacha Lévy (CTO)
Regions servedUS
Countries deployedNot listed
Service footprintNot listed
Last reviewed2026-07-05
MX

Robot models

Specifications remain vendor-claimed

Machinesecurity

Visual Navigation System (VNS)

  • Integrates with any drone in under 30 minutes, providing GPS-independent autonomous navigation

    Passive optical + IMU positioning system generating a synthetic GPS output signal; no RF emissions, jam-proof

    Claim source
CA

Funding history

Publicly announced rounds

Investors on recordFirst Round CapitalLux CapitalY Combinator
TL

Company timeline

Milestones and announcements

2025-04-17Raised $4.3M seed round led by First Round CapitalFoundersToday
2024-09-01Accepted into Y Combinator Summer 2024 batch; sold VNS units to US Special Forces within 6 months of foundingY Combinator
SC

Source ledger

2 unique public sources

01
Theseus secures $4.3M to help Military Drones navigate without GPSFoundersToday · retrieved 2026-07-05
02
Launch YC: Theseus – GPS Denied Navigation for DronesY Combinator · retrieved 2026-07-05