Vinod Khosla Is Betting On This 'Exciting Company' Building Fast Aircraft As It Chases $1 Billion Valuation

Venture Capitalist Vinod Khosla, laminitis of Khosla Ventures, has reaffirmed his backing for Hermeus aft his steadfast led the defence aviation startup's $350 cardinal Series C round, a woody that pushes the institution to a $1 cardinal post-money valuation and strengthens its lasting successful the contention to physique high-speed subject aircraft.

Hermeus said connected Tuesday successful a property merchandise that the financing includes $200 cardinal successful equity led by Khosla Ventures and $150 cardinal successful debt, with the superior earmarked to velocity improvement of its Quarterhorse testbed and Darkhorse drone.

After Hermeus announced the investment, Khosla took to X and quoted the company's post, writing, "Exciting institution with unsocial technology."

Exciting institution with unsocial exertion https://t.co/XTMenOx7WD

— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) April 7, 2026

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The nationalist endorsement added to remarks helium made successful the company's property release, wherever helium said, "We've been believers successful Hermeus from the start, and we couldn't beryllium happier to pb this Series C."

He added that the institution is connected a "clear trajectory to lick a captious capableness gap" by building, flying and iterating astatine a gait suited to the modern battlefield.

Hermeus said the caller wealth volition assistance grow manufacturing, including a caller installation successful El Segundo, California, portion its Atlanta tract shifts toward production. The institution said existing investors successful the circular included Canaan Partners, Founders Fund, RTX Ventures, Bling Capital and In-Q-Tel, portion caller backers included Cox Enterprises and its Socium Ventures fund, on with Destiny Tech100, Georgia Tech Foundation, 137 Ventures and GSBackers.

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Founded successful 2018, Hermeus says it is gathering craft susceptible of flying supra Mach 5 and has pitched some defence and aboriginal commercialized uses for the technology. Khosla Ventures has backed the institution since its effect circular successful 2019, according to Hermeus.

In the broader high-speed aerospace field, Tracxn lists Boom Supersonic and Spike Aerospace among Hermeus' apical competitors, portion different marketplace trackers specified arsenic CB Insights besides see Venus Aerospace successful that competitory set.