Colossal Biosciences’ Ben Lamm and Anduril’s Palmer Luckey have launched Warhound, a company focused on genetically engineering war dogs for the U.S. military, law enforcement, and emergency response teams. The announcement came on Thursday, revealing that Warhound has raised $200 million in funding from investors including In-Q-Tel, Sequoia, and 8VC, valuing the company at $1.2 billion.
The Need for Enhanced Working Dogs
Warhound aims to address the dwindling supply of working dogs, noting that over 80% of the dogs used by the U.S. military are imported from Europe, with less than half deemed fit for service. This reliance on foreign nations for essential working dogs highlights the need for a domestic solution.
The company plans to utilize its technology to engineer dogs with characteristics suited for demanding missions. Lamm explained that he met Luckey about a year ago at a conference, where they discussed improving the capabilities of working dogs in the military. After conducting further research, Lamm discovered significant breeding issues that lead to many dogs failing to complete training due to genetic predispositions to health problems.
