Wardstone is a Y Combinator F25 defense startup building a global constellation of satellites equipped with space-based interceptors to kinetically destroy hypersonic and ballistic missiles. Founded by brothers Sebastian and Tobias Fischer, the company is pursuing America's Golden Dome initiative - a layered missile defense system that can engage threats in space before they reach US soil. With a $5M seed round and three successful automated intercept demonstrations during YC, Wardstone is positioning itself as a next-generation missile defense contractor targeting a $40B/year market.
Zeon Systems builds AI-powered robotic infrastructure that automates scientific laboratory experiments. Founded in 2025 by Brontë Kolar and Tahir D'Mello - both Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees who previously worked together at Latch Bio - the company uses off-the-shelf robotic arms paired with depth cameras and a natural language interface to let scientists describe experiments in plain English and have robots execute them autonomously. Already piloting at Stanford and UCSF, Zeon targets the multi-billion-dollar lab automation market by lowering the cost and complexity of scientific research - betting that cheaper automation means more experiments, and more experiments mean faster cures.
Zephyr Fusion is building the first in-orbit fusion power source - a compact, megawatt-class reactor designed to run in the vacuum of space. Founded by two physicists who met in grad school operating a spherical tokamak, the San Diego-based startup uses a levitated dipole magnetic confinement approach with high-temperature superconductors. Their bet: space makes fusion easier, not harder. With launch costs down 10x and mass-produced HTS tapes providing 10x more field per kilogram, Zephyr Fusion aims to power the industrial revolution that humanity is about to have off-planet.