LOS ANGELES, May 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Furientis, a defense technology startup developing cost-effective defensive munitions, today emerged from stealth and announced a $5 million pre-seed fundraise. The round was led by Silent Ventures with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, SV Angel and others, including repeat founders of companies including Anduril, Erebor, and Armada. The company is actively flight-testing ship-based interceptors designed for scalable production to supplement high-cost systems produced in limited volumes.

Founded in 2025, Furientis is led by co-founders Brody Franzen and Aris Simsarian, who each bring a decade of experience in rocket design and testing at high-growth aerospace companies. Simsarian previously served as a Propulsion Engineer and Manager of Rocket Engine Test at Virgin Orbit, while Franzen held roles including Deputy Chief Engineer at Virgin Galactic and, most recently as a Senior Engineer at Castelion, a defense startup building hypersonic missiles.

"During the 2024 Red Sea crisis, the U.S. Navy used more than 200 interceptor missiles to defend ships against Iranian-backed threats," said Franzen. "That matters not only because of the cost imbalance, using $4 million missiles to intercept $40,000 drones, but also because of the scale challenge, with only around 200 of these interceptors delivered annually ...