As lawmakers and Pentagon officials push for reforms to the defense takeover system, small tech companies are expanding their data analytics platform that says they can arm the Pentagon weapons ships with the information they need to more effectively manage the Department of Defense's nearly trillion dollar budget.
The company's Obviant was founded in 2023 and developed a defense acquisition platform as a way for both DOD and the defense industry to better understand how the Pentagon spends money and prioritizes Congress and sector stakeholders.
Navigating that system usually means examining thousands of pages of PDFs that make up the Department of Defense budget requests, tracking Congressional markup through multiple committees, and maintaining the status of the $150 billion budget adjustment bill over the 2026 fiscal year cycle.
“There is no source of truth, there is no mapping for that,” Obviant founder and CEO Brendan Karp told Defense News in an interview. “All this information is merely a load of structured and unstructured sources.”
On Tuesday, Obviant announced $7 million seed funds that it will use to enhance the capabilities of its AI-based platform and make it available to more users.
“This recent funding will allow Obviant to expand its team, advance the platform's AI capabilities and expand its customer base. It will transform the way corporate, investors and government leaders make more informed decisions across the defense sector,” Obviant said in a statement.
The funding round was led by Shield Capital, a venture company led by former DOD and defense industry experts focusing on early stage companies developing AI, autonomy, cyber and space capabilities.
Karp and his team deployed the platform last year, targeting several major client groups. They are moving investors trying to understand where the department is focusing their funds, companies trying to sell to the military, DOD funding priorities and program offices, and Pentagon acquisition leaders into the field.
For all these users, Obviant pulls data from open source budget documents, budget and contract announcements, and unique customer data, finding common threads within it.
The company provides information on whether the department is investing in a specific feature or using a specific contracting tool. You can also track trends, such as whether DoD's public rhetoric matches actual spending.
The company has been successful in its first few years and recently shut down its first government contracts with several DOD innovation organizations.
Carp said it is seeing the company's role in fostering advancements in these sectors as lawmakers called for reforms to the defense takeover system and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegses wanted more speed and efficiency in the arms purchasing process.
“We feel we can play an accelerated role in the process,” he said.
Courtney Albon is a C4ISRNET space and emerging technology reporter. She has been covering the US military since 2012, focusing on the Air Force and Space Force. She reports on some of the Pentagon's most important acquisition, budget and policy challenges.
