The defense startup CX2, led by serial entrepreneur Nathan Mintz, has secured a $15 million seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s American Dynamism team and venture firm 8VC. Mintz, the former CEO of Epirus, aims to become a major Pentagon contractor for electronic warfare, focusing on directed energy weapons and the electromagnetic spectrum. The company, registered last month in Delaware, is finalizing talks to close the funding round, with other investors yet to be disclosed.
Chris Beach, a spokesperson for 8VC, confirmed the firm’s investment in CX2 and stated that the company will address critical gaps in modern warfare based on new learnings. Mintz, who declined to comment, has a background in building sensors and weapons systems, having worked at Raytheon and Boeing before co-founding Epirus in 2018. His previous company developed microwave weapons to combat drones and is now valued at $1.4 billion after raising $300 million in funding.
The resurgence of interest in electronic warfare from the Pentagon, highlighted by recent events in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, has led to increased demand for advanced EW systems. Mintz’s vision for CX2 aligns with this trend, focusing on products like sensors, satellites, and directed energy weapons to address battlefield objectives such as jamming radio signals, countering drones, and intercepting signals intelligence. The U.S. Space Force and Army are also ramping up their EW capabilities in response to evolving threats.
The EW sector is currently dominated by established defense giants like BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin, but investors like Joe Lonsdale see potential in Mintz’s new venture to disrupt the market. Lonsdale, a co-founder of 8VC, has backed Mintz in previous ventures like Epirus and Spartan Radar, which builds radars for autonomous vehicles. Mintz sees directed energy weapons as a game-changer on the battlefield, offering a solution to ammunition shortages and logistical challenges faced by traditional weapons systems.
As Mintz’s new company CX2 prepares to enter the defense technology space, the funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz underscores the growing interest in electronic warfare capabilities. With a focus on addressing critical gaps in modern warfare, CX2 aims to become a prime contractor for the Pentagon, providing innovative solutions using directed energy and the electromagnetic spectrum. The evolving landscape of electronic warfare, highlighted by recent events in global conflicts, has created a demand for advanced technologies and systems to address emerging threats.
