laser-defense
(2)
Thor Dynamics
Thor Dynamics is a Palo Alto-based defense-tech startup building Laser Armor, an AI-powered directed-energy system that detects, tracks, and neutralizes hostile drones and drone swarms with a high-energy laser. Founded in 2024 by a team of MIT- and Wharton-trained operators and former U.S. Navy leadership, the company pairs up-to-20-kilowatt laser output with reinforcement-learning targeting and NVIDIA edge compute to deliver affordable, scalable counter-drone defense for critical infrastructure and the military.
Michael LaFramboise
Michael LaFramboise is the CEO and co-founder of Aurelius Systems, a San Francisco defense startup building autonomous, AI-guided laser turrets that detect and destroy drones at the speed of light for roughly pennies per shot. A Case Western engineer, Navy veteran, and ex-Coherent and Amazon Devices operator, he dropped out of a Columbia PhD in nano optical systems to build Archimedes, a low-cost directed-energy weapon. Aurelius raised a $10 million seed co-led by General Catalyst and Draper Associates in September 2025 and opened a U.S. manufacturing line for high-power fiber lasers in 2026, aiming to become America's domestic one-stop laser shop.