AI news ·
EdgeRunner AI Secures $17.5M to Revolutionize Air-Gapped, On-Device AI for Military Excellence
EdgeRunner AI raised $17.5M to develop air-gapped, on-device AI agents for military use. Their AI improves warfighter safety and operates offline in secure, limited-connectivity environments.
EdgeRunner Raises $17.5M to Build Air-Gapped, On-Device AI for Military Use
EdgeRunner AI, a company focused on domain-specific, air-gapped AI agents that operate on-device, announced it has closed a $12 million Series A funding round. Led by Madrona Ventures, with participation from Four Rivers Ventures, HP Tech Ventures, and Alumni Ventures, this round brings EdgeRunner’s total funding to $17.5 million. The new capital will be used to expand the team and accelerate product development.
Matt McIlwain, Managing Director at Madrona Ventures, will join EdgeRunner’s board of directors. The company previously completed a $5.5 million seed round led by Four Rivers Ventures in June 2024, marking significant progress within a year.
Focus on AI Agents for the Warfighter
EdgeRunner’s mission is clear: to develop AI agents that improve the effectiveness and safety of military personnel in the field. These AI assistants are designed to operate independently of internet connectivity, making them reliable in communication-restricted or denied environments.
Tyler Saltsman, Co-Founder and CEO, explained that the funding will enable the company to grow its team and develop products that meet the specific needs of warfighters. Co-Founder and COO Colton Malkerson emphasized the value of Madrona’s ongoing partnership and the expertise Matt McIlwain brings to the board.
Product Highlights
EdgeRunner AI’s platform hosts occupation- and mission-specific AI agents that run locally on devices such as AI PCs or edge computing hardware. The platform supports:
- Chat, Q&A, and summarization
- Language translation, transcription, and text-to-speech/speech-to-text
- Code generation and multi-document retrieval (PDF, Word, PowerPoint)
- Tool integrations with Microsoft Outlook, Google Workspace, Slack, and more
Military-specific AI adapters cater to roles like logistics, maintenance, and acquisitions, delivering targeted and relevant responses. Running AI locally improves energy efficiency, reduces costs, and enhances data privacy and security, particularly in Denied, Disrupted, Intermittent, and Limited (DDIL) environments.
Partnerships and Recognition
EdgeRunner AI has partnered with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to develop AI agents customized for Air Force occupational specialties. Additionally, the company was recently named an “Awardable” vendor for the Department of Defense’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace, making its AI platform available for critical DoD missions.
EdgeRunner was also named to CB Insights’ AI 100 list for 2025, highlighting it as one of the most promising AI startups based on market traction, investor quality, and talent.
About EdgeRunner AI
EdgeRunner AI specializes in creating hyper-personalized AI agents that run on-device without internet connectivity. Its solutions are built to transform workflows in secure, private, and connectivity-limited environments for military and enterprise users.
For product developers interested in AI applications in secure, offline environments, EdgeRunner's approach offers valuable insights into building reliable, domain-specific AI agents that function in challenging conditions.