Warhound, a Texas startup associated with Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and Colossal Biosciences cofounder Ben Lamm, came out of stealth on Wednesday with $200 million in funding to clone and gene-edit working dogs for the U.S. military, law enforcement and first responders, Wired reported¹. Engadget carried the same round and purpose on Thursday². The Verge reported the same launch and funding on Friday³.

Lamm told Wired the company aims to rebuild a domestic supply of elite working dogs and reduce reliance on European breeders¹. A Warhound press release cited by The Verge said 80 percent of U.S. military dogs are currently sourced from Europe and that fewer than half of dogs procured overseas are typically deemed fit for service after a three-year acquisition-and-training pipeline³. He said Warhound is gene-editing its first batch of dogs and has collected blood samples from top-performing U.S. military, police and first-responder animals to clone, with breeds expected to be mostly Belgian Malinois plus some Labrador retrievers and shepherds¹. Engadget said those samples would be cloned after Colossal scientists tweak the genes². Wired and Engadget said the company anticipates the first puppies in early 2027^1,2. The Verge said the dogs do not exist yet³.

Initial gene edits will target common health problems such as hip dysplasia, Lamm said¹. Engadget added certain cancers among those early health targets². The Verge, citing TechCrunch, said Lamm described edits against poor eyesight and cancer likelihood and adding genes for speed, agility or olfactory work such as bomb sniffing, with Belgian Malinois and German shepherds as study bases and a plan to create “a new type of dog”³. Wired said later possibilities include adding wolf olfactory receptor genes¹. Colossal is known for gene-edited wolf work tied to its dire wolf project¹.

A company release cited by Wired said Warhound dogs would also get Anduril cybernetic augments, software and battlefield situational awareness¹. Asked whether that meant cyborgs, Lamm said the current plan is tools such as advanced body armor rather than computers implanted in the animals¹. Engadget similarly said Anduril would design protective tools and software, naming goggles, vests and body armor². The Verge said those augments include eye and ear protection and Anduril’s EagleEye technology for dogs and handlers³. Luckey said in a press announcement cited by The Verge, “Man’s best friend deserves man’s best tech”³.

Neither Luckey nor Lamm will run day-to-day operations, though Lamm is on the board¹. Engadget described Luckey as a partner in the business². Wired, Engadget and The Verge, citing Bloomberg, said Luckey is not an owner and has no equity, nor does Anduril; Colossal Biosciences does have an ownership stake^1,2,3. The Verge added that Luckey has no ongoing role³. David Spirk, a former Defense Department chief data officer who most recently worked at Palantir, is chief executive^1,2,3. Investors named by Wired include In-Q-Tel, Sequoia Capital and ARK Invest¹. Lamm said he and Luckey had worked on the project for more than a year¹. Wired and The Verge reported the American Humane Society would help guide the company; The Verge said it would also certify training programs^1,3. Engadget said the dogs would be trained for tasks such as bomb detection and search and rescue².

Sources

1. WiredPalmer Luckey Made a Genetically Modified Military Dog StartupOct 22, 7:15 PM
2. EngadgetA startup called Warhound is genetically engineering dogs for the militaryOct 23, 5:01 AM
3. The VergeStartup equips genetically enhanced dogs with Palmer Luckey’s military techOct 23, 6:58 AM

Read the original at Wired ↗