Defense aviation company Hermeus hit the $1 billion unicorn valuation this week following a $350 million Series C raise ($200 million in venture capital and $150 million in debt financing), led by returning investor Khosla Ventures.
The Atlanta-founded company also announced it's moving its headquarters to El Segundo, California, directly south of LAX. Hermeus will keep its Atlanta facility open and shift its focus to production. No Atlanta layoffs are planned, and the company is actively hiring engineering talent in both cities.
Hermeus is building unmanned aircraft for national security missions, working with the Department of Defense and other government organizations. Investors include NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and Sam Altman. The team has grown to more than 275 employees across Atlanta, Los Angeles, DC, and Jacksonville.
For Atlanta's tech ecosystem, losing another HQ to California stings, but retaining the production facility means the city keeps the manufacturing jobs and technical workforce.
