WASHINGTON, July 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Spear AI, a leading developer of maritime artificial intelligence solutions, today announced the successful completion of its seed funding round with investments from Scare the Bear Capital and Cortical Ventures. The funding will support the expansion of Spear AI’s product portfolio, scaling of its Horizon platform, and the growth of its specialized maritime sensor capabilities, while also broadening its technical and subject matter expert services in applied data and AI.
Spear AI provides an integrated suite of solutions and services that combine cutting-edge software, modular sensors, and highly specialized engineering expertise. In addition to its flagship Horizon platform—which manages and labels acoustic data for AI development—Spear AI offers subject matter expert and technical expert support services to design, implement, and operationalize AI pipelines and data infrastructure. The company’s teams of machine learning engineers, data engineers, software engineers, cloud architects, and operational subject matter experts have a track record of developing and fielding applied AI capabilities for national security missions, including advanced MLOps pipelines, reinforcement learning platforms, and mission-critical decision support tools.
“This investment is a validation of our vision to transform maritime data into actionable intelligence,” said Michael Hunter, co-founder and CEO of Spear AI. “Scare the Bear Capital and Cortical Ventures understand the urgency of delivering operationally relevant AI at the edge, and their support enables us to accelerate delivery to our defense and commercial partners.”
“Our mission has always been to close the gap between emerging AI technology and real-world mission demands,” said John McGunnigle, co-founder, Executive Chairman, and CTO. “This funding enables us to grow our technical services and engineering teams to help more partners build the data and AI capabilities they need to operate faster, safer, and smarter in the maritime domain.”
Spear AI is already working closely with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy, with plans to expand both commercially and internationally in the coming years.
“At Scare the Bear Capital, we look for companies that have exceptional leadership and opportunities to significantly grow their products or services within the Federal Government. With Spear, we found both,” said Matt Dean, managing partner, Scare the Bear. “Our group of advisors and I are incredibly excited to partner with John and Mike to help them achieve their vision for Spear.”
“I had the privilege of working with John when I was at DataRobot and he was with the Navy, and I’m excited to work with John and Michael because they’re exactly the type of founders we look for: capable, mission-driven, and experts in their field. I believe the best companies to invest in operate at the intersection of opportunities to (a) save the world and (b) generate significant returns, and Spear is a clear example of that,” said Jeremy Achin, cofounder and general partner, Cortical Ventures.
About Spear AI
Founded in 2021, Spear AI designs and delivers advanced artificial intelligence solutions that integrate seamlessly with maritime sensors, defense platforms, and edge computing environments. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in Falmouth, MA and Groton, CT, Spear AI develops modular AI application software such as the Horizon platform and affordable maritime sensors engineered for rapid deployment and high-tempo operations. In parallel, the company provides specialized technical services, including AI strategy development, data pipeline design, algorithm development, and operational integration, supporting clients in building and sustaining cutting-edge AI capabilities. Spear AI’s team includes leaders from the Navy’s Project Harbinger and Project Maven, bringing unmatched experience in operationalizing AI at scale. For more information, visit Spear.ai.
About Cortical Ventures
Cortical Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs building the next generation AI Companies. The firm was started by DataRobot founder Jeremy Achin and Igor Taber, who previously led Corporate Development at DataRobot and was an early investor in the company while he was at Intel Capital. Cortical Ventures was started to invent, incubate and invest in the companies leading the AI revolution. The firm is backed by leading VC firms and partners, AI luminaries and top founders and operators in the industry.
About Scare the Bear Capital:
Scare the Bear Capital is a private investment firm focusing on small to mid-tier businesses. Scare the Bear is more than just the name of our company, it’s our mission and our business philosophy. We partner with small businesses to help them show the strength and maturity of mid to large size companies. They can then command the level of valuation typically reserved for their larger counterparts. We execute this vision in partnership with a group of advisors that have experience leading and operating firms in our industry.
Press Contact:
Lisi Skrien
lskrien@spear.ai
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