U.S. security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has announced the doubling of its venture capital fund to $200 million and recent investments in early-stage companies focused in the areas of autonomy and advanced manufacturing.
Lockheed Martin said that its focus is on finding and investing in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that will grow the company’s business and disrupt its industry. The company is focusing the additional $100 million on early-stage companies in the areas of sensor technologies, autonomy, artificial intelligence and cyber.
The deal is part of $460 million that the company is investing as a direct result of tax reform savings. The tax reform legislation enables it to make investments that improve its global competitiveness, including investing in transformative technologies that will bring lasting benefits to customers, employees and communities.
With the fund's latest investment, Lockheed Martin expanded its relationship with U.S. nTopology, creator of ELEMENT, an emerging software technology in the high-growth additive and advanced manufacturing sectors. It added that its investment in nTopology will bring strategic advantages in its computational design processes and help shorten the periods between the design and manufacturing phase.