Sterling drone startup joins unicorn ranks

Heven AeroTech, a Sterling-based developer of hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial systems, has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round that elevates it to unicorn status.

The company announced the investment, which brings the company’s valuation to $1 billion, on Monday. Maryland-based quantum computing company IonQ led the funding round, alongside returning investors like Texas Venture Partners.

Heven AeroTech said the funding will allow it to meet demand from the U.S. Special Operations Command, combatant commands and allied forces for long-endurance, energy-independent unmanned aerial systems.

“Reaching unicorn status validates not just our technology, but our execution,” Heven founder and CEO Bentzion Levinson said in a statement. “This capital will enable us to scale U.S. manufacturing capacity, accelerate quantum-enabled capabilities across our platform and deliver long-endurance hydrogen-powered systems at the speed and volume our national security customers demand. We’re building for the battlefield of today and tomorrow.”

The Series B investment will specifically go toward expanding U.S. manufacturing capacity and developing hydrogen generation and logistics infrastructure. It will also fund the development of quantum-secure communications, navigation systems for GPS-denied environments and AI-powered autonomous operations.

Heven said it will leverage its collaboration with IonQ and immediately launch a quantum-focused engineering division that will emphasize integrating quantum computing capabilities directly into Heven’s platforms.

Founded in 2019, Heven specializes in the development and manufacturing of hydrogen fuel cell-powered, long-endurance aerial vehicles for defense and commercial applications. Its flagship product is the Z1 drone, which offers flight times exceeding 10 hours and a range of over 600 miles.

The company, which has global operations, relocated its headquarters from Miami to Sterling in October, a move that brought it closer to its customers in the National Capital Region. The company said the move and expansion would create 150 jobs nationwide, including 40 positions at the Sterling facility.

Heven did not immediately return requests for comment.