Hadrian raises $260M to scale automated defense factories
In a bold move to reinvigorate American manufacturing, automated production startup Hadrian has raised a massive $260 million in new funding to expand its factory footprint and accelerate its mission of reshoring industrial capabilities. The round, led by Founders Fund and Lux Capital, comes amid renewed investor focus on rebuilding U.S. manufacturing strength — particularly in the aerospace and defense sectors.
From Machine Shops to Modern Industry
Hadrian is taking on an entrenched, fragmented manufacturing industry still dominated by small, aging machine shops. Its strategy? Highly automated, high-throughput factories that manufacture mission-critical parts — starting with ultra-precise CNC-machined components — at unprecedented speed and scale. CNC machining, known for achieving tolerances measured in microns, is just the beginning. Hadrian is now expanding into welding, casting, additive manufacturing, and more, according to founder and CEO Chris Power.
Power, a vocal proponent of reindustrialization, sees this transformation as urgent and essential. Speaking at the Reindustrialization Summit this week, he declared, “The hour is extremely late… We have an incredibly short window to prepare for this, fix it, reindustrialize the country and return to what made us great in the first place.”
Factory 3: A Scaled-Up Vision
A significant portion of the new funding will fuel construction of Factory 3, a state-of-the-art facility in Arizona set to go live by Christmas 2025. This third site will offer 4x the machining throughput of Hadrian’s previous facility and marks a key step in scaling its production to meet national needs.
In parallel, Hadrian is expanding its 500,000-square-foot headquarters and R&D center in Torrance, California, further solidifying its West Coast footprint.
Beyond Aerospace: Munitions, Maritime, and More
Hadrian’s growth is also extending into new verticals, with divisions now forming to produce specialized parts for maritime and munitions applications. The move positions the company as a strategic supplier for U.S. defense readiness — an area where speed, scale, and domestic capability are becoming non-negotiable.
Alongside its parts business, Hadrian is also pioneering a “factories as a service” model. This offering enables customers to secure dedicated factory capacity — a game-changer for organizations that need guaranteed production availability and control.
Backed by Top-Tier Investors
The round saw participation from both new and existing backers. Alongside Founders Fund, Lux Capital, and financing support from Morgan Stanley, investors include Altimeter, 1789 Capital, a16z, Construct Capital, and 137 Ventures. With this latest round, Hadrian has raised nearly $500 million since its founding in 2020.
Reindustrialization as a National Imperative
Hadrian’s rise reflects a broader movement in U.S. tech and venture capital circles: a shift toward strategic, long-term investments aimed at rebuilding core industrial capacity. With geopolitical tensions rising and global supply chains under pressure, there is growing recognition that national resilience requires domestic manufacturing muscle — not just software prowess.
Power and his investors are betting big that Hadrian can help answer that call.
