Company
Epirus
[Epirus](https://www.epirusinc.com) is a Torrance, CA-based defense technology company developing the Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) system for…
- Founded
- 2018
- HQ
- Torrance, California, USA
- Status
- active
Funding
$250.0M
Models
1
Overview
Epirus is a Torrance, CA-based defense technology company developing the Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) system for counter-drone and counter-electronics applications. Leonidas neutralizes swarming, fiber-optic, and autonomous drone threats using directed energy, with contracts from the U.S. Army including a 6.1M prototype contract and a 3.5M IFPC-HPM Gen II contract. Founded by Joe Lonsdale (co-founder of Palantir) and Grant Verstandig, Epirus has raised over 50M in total funding through a 50M Series D.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
Co-founders
Joe Lonsdale, Bo Marr, Max Mednik, Grant Verstandig, John Tenet
Total funding
>$550M (through Series D)
Products
Leonidas HPM counter-drone system
CEO
Andy Lowery
Founders
Joe Lonsdale, Grant Verstandig
Key product
Leonidas HPM system
U.S. Army contract
$43.5M (IFPC-HPM Gen II, July 2025)
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Epirus on the deployment map
Where Epirus's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
- Andy Lowery Chief Executive Officerreported, not verified
- Joe Lonsdale Co-Founderreported, not verified
Founders (1)
- Joe Lonsdalecofounderno longer at company
Safety record
No incidents on record for Epirus.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Epirus in third-party press
Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- August Robotics2 models
- Embodied2 models
- EverestLabs2 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships (1)
- Epirus x U.S. Army (IFPC-HPM) with U.S. Armydeployment
Funding rounds (1)
- Series D2025-01-01
$250M(reported)
Investors: 8VC
Sources (1)
Common questions
- What is Epirus?
- Epirus is a Torrance, CA-based defense technology company developing the Leonidas high-power microwave (HPM) system for counter-drone and counter-electronics applications. Leonidas neutralizes swarming, fiber-optic, and autonomous drone threats using directed energy, with contracts from the U.S. Army including a 6.1M prototype contract and a 3.5M IFPC-HPM Gen II contract. Founded by Joe Lonsdale (co-founder of Palantir) and Grant Verstandig, Epirus has raised over 50M in total funding through a 50M Series D.
- What does Epirus make?
- Epirus has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Leonidas HPM (Epirus builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
- Who competes with Epirus?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Epirus building in the same form factors include DJI, Boston Dynamics, ATI Industrial Automation, August Robotics.
- Where is Epirus headquartered?
- Epirus is headquartered in Torrance, California, USA.
- How much funding has Epirus raised?
- Epirus has raised approximately $250M in disclosed funding on record in the DEPLOY registry.
- Where does Epirus operate robots?
- Epirus is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.
- Is Epirus a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Epirus ranks in roughly the top 25% of companies tracked by the registry.
- When was Epirus founded?
- Epirus was founded in 2018.
- Is Epirus safe?
- Epirus has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-08
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-08
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Epirus.Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- August Robotics2 models
- Embodied2 models
- EverestLabs2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Epirus from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Epirus Receives 3.5 Million Contract from U.S. Army for IFPC-HPM Generation II Systems
Epirus secured a 3.5M U.S. Army contract for next-generation Leonidas IFPC-HPM counter-drone systems with longer range and greater power.
Defense tech startup Epirus raises 50M Series D to counter drone swarms
Epirus raised 50M in Series D, bringing total funding to over 50M for its Leonidas counter-drone HPM system.
Epirus: 50 Million (Series D) Closed To Scale Production of Leonidas
Epirus closed an oversubscribed 50M Series D funding round, bringing total venture funding to over 50M to scale production of the Leonidas HPM system.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/epirus.md
- RSS feed: /companies/epirus/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/43c80509-ae08-4a4f-b593-7ada9fa7465f
- Revision history: /companies/epirus/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- August Robotics2 models
- Embodied2 models
- EverestLabs2 models
Reality vs attention
Epirus draws attention at the 36th percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among other robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 14, 2026