Key facts
- Cathedral, a new startup founded by former DOGE employees, aims to use AI for U.S. military cyber operations.
- The company secured $160 million in funding, valuing it at $1.4 billion.
- Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital led the funding round.
- Co-founders include former Department of Government Efficiency staffers Gavin Kliger, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, and Jack Stein.
- The founding team has significant ties to the Trump administration and national security officials.
A new startup named Cathedral, founded by former employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has secured $160 million in a funding round that values the company at $1.4 billion. The company's mission is to leverage artificial intelligence to enhance U.S. military cyber capabilities, including both offensive and defensive operations, with a focus on countering adversaries like China.
Cathedral plans to acquire or partner with a data center to provide the necessary compute power for its AI-driven cyber operations. The funding round was led by venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, both of which have taken board seats at the company. This investment highlights significant investor interest in startups founded by DOGE alumni, who were instrumental in significant workforce reductions within the federal government.
The founding team, which includes Gavin Kliger, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, and Jack Stein, maintains close ties to the Trump administration and national security circles. Kliger previously served as the chief data officer at the Pentagon, while Farritor focused on cost-cutting initiatives at the General Services Administration. Marko Elez has a background with SpaceX and the U.S. Treasury Department, and his reinstatement at DOGE after controversial social media posts was reportedly advocated for by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Cathedral is positioned to potentially secure substantial government contracts, particularly as the Pentagon and other departments increasingly partner with startups for national security objectives. However, the company's strong connections to the Trump administration also present potential risks, including scrutiny over contracts should political control of government bodies shift.