{"id":5799,"date":"2025-07-04T23:28:45","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T22:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/?p=5799"},"modified":"2025-11-02T07:43:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T06:43:21","slug":"perseus-defense-yc-s25-launches-to-build-americas-iron-dome-for-drones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/perseus-defense-yc-s25-launches-to-build-americas-iron-dome-for-drones\/","title":{"rendered":"Perseus Defense (YC S25) Launches to Build America\u2019s \u201cIron Dome\u201d for Drones"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> Perseus Defense, a startup founded by aerospace engineers, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/villpress.com\/goto\/https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jason-k-cornelius\/\">Jason<\/a> from NASA and  <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/villpress.com\/goto\/https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/steve-messinger-a32680155\/\">Steve<\/a>&nbsp;from Boeing, has officially launched with an ambitious goal: to build the first low-cost, guided micro-missile system to protect U.S. troops and critical infrastructure from the growing threat of drone warfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As drone attacks become increasingly cheap and deadly, Perseus is taking a bold swing at solving what the military calls one of today\u2019s most urgent battlefield problems. The company has joined the <strong>Y Combinator Summer 2025 batch (YC S25)<\/strong> and is already turning heads in defense circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Problem: $500 Drones vs $100M Assets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s drone warfare is asymmetric. A $500 off-the-shelf drone can destroy a $100 million asset or take lives on the front line. In many active zones, <strong>up to 80% of casualties now come from drone strikes<\/strong>. Yet the cost to neutralize these drones using existing tech \u2014 from intercept missiles to high-powered lasers \u2014 can exceed <strong>$100,000 per shot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now, the economics of defense are upside down,\u201d says <strong>Jason Cornelius, PhD<\/strong>, co-founder and CEO of Perseus. \u201cThe enemy spends $500; we spend a hundred grand to stop it. That\u2019s not scalable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"> The Solution: Guided Micro-Missiles for &lt;$10K Per Shot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perseus Defense is flipping the cost equation. They\u2019re building <strong>man-portable guided micro-missile pods<\/strong> that can autonomously detect, identify, and intercept drones \u2014 all for <strong>under $10,000 per launch<\/strong>. That\u2019s a <strong>20x reduction<\/strong> in cost compared to current alternatives, making drone defense viable at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system is designed for flexibility, enabling deployment on trucks, boats, or fixed installations. The team says it will be essential for protecting <strong>convoys, forward bases, and critical infrastructure<\/strong> in the U.S. and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"background-color:#ededed\"><strong>ALSO READ:<\/strong>  <a href=\"https:\/\/villpress.com\/researchers-at-tu-delft-have-made-significant-advancements-in-robot-navigation-by-drawing-inspiration-from-ants\/\">Researchers at TU Delft have made significant advancements in robot navigation by drawing inspiration from ants<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Founders: Aerospace Vets from NASA and Boeing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perseus was co-founded by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jason Cornelius, PhD<\/strong> \u2013 an ex-NASA researcher who worked on the Titan Dragonfly space helicopter and autonomous flight systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Steve Messinger<\/strong> \u2013 former Boeing autonomy lead and expert in swarm robotics and drone competitions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Together, they\u2019ve built orbital vehicles, helped commercial airliners land themselves, and pioneered swarm behavior in unmanned systems. Now, they\u2019re bringing that same precision to the battlefield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to wait 5 years to get permission to build the right solution,\u201d says Messinger. \u201cSo we left our jobs and built a working prototype in just four days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Watch Video<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/villpress.com\/goto\/https:\/\/youtu.be\/imeYyE7hVug\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/imeYyE7hVug<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Perseus Defense (YC S25) Launch Video\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/imeYyE7hVug?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Early Traction &amp; Mission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since its incorporation in May 2025, Perseus has already:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Built a functional drone prototype and guided a micro-missile pod<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Conducted over 60 discovery calls with DoD, DHS, and defense integrators<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Received strong interest for potential deployment in active zones<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Been accepted into <strong>Y Combinator\u2019s S25 batch<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One Pentagon official reportedly told them: <em>\u201cIf you build this, it will be mandatory equipment for every truck, boat, and convoy in the U.S. military.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why It Matters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perseus is launching at a time when the U.S. military is urgently seeking <strong>low-cost, scalable CUAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems)<\/strong> solutions. The Department of Defense has acknowledged that traditional systems are too slow, too expensive, and not built for the pace of modern drone warfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Perseus delivers, it could help rewrite the future of force protection, giving U.S. troops and infrastructure the edge they need to counter low-cost aerial threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Perseus Defense, a startup founded by aerospace engineers, Jason from NASA and Steve&nbsp;from Boeing, has officially launched with an ambitious goal: to build the first low-cost, guided micro-missile system to protect U.S. troops and critical infrastructure from the growing threat of drone warfare. As drone attacks become increasingly cheap and deadly, Perseus is taking a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[331],"class_list":["post-5799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tech"],"authors":[{"term_id":331,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"pastakutmanwen","display_name":"Staff Writer","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Logo.png","url2x":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Logo.png"},"author_category":"1","first_name":"Staff","last_name":"Writer","user_url":"http:\/\/villpress.com","job_title":"Staffs At Villpress","description":"The Villpress Staff Writers are an in-house team of experienced editors and industry experts dedicated to producing clear, insightful content. As part of Villpress, they cover the latest trends and innovations across business, technology, artificial intelligence, advertising, and more, delivering stories that inform, engage, and add real value to readers."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5799"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5803,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5799\/revisions\/5803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5799"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villpress.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=5799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}