Machine sentience behind every blade of grass

Mara Inc. is a stealth-stage defense startup founded in 2024, based in San Francisco, backed by Y Combinator (Winter 2025) and Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun initiative. The company is building Spike, an autonomous, AI-powered, short-range counter‑UAS (drone defense) system designed to detect, track, and neutralize hostile drones—operating as a distributed, cost-effective swarm platform that protects critical assets from modern aerial threats

Mara addresses a rapidly accelerating defense need: scalable, affordable drone defense as hostile UAV activity increases globally. With strong investor backing and being highlighted in the Black Flag 100 for counter‑drone innovation—Mara is poised to disrupt the expensive and centralized counter‑UAS market. Their simulation-driven tactics engine, reinforced by video game data, uniquely positions them to evolve dynamically against evolving drone threats, making Spike a compelling mix of high-product fit, clear defense utility, and potential for government and commercial adoption.