SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Red 6, a revolutionary technology firm at the forefront of synthetic air combat training, is proud to announce it has raised $7 million in the form of a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity). The round was led by Red Cell, Snowpoint Ventures, and Octave. There was additional participation from existing and new investors, including long term investor Moonshots Capital, Irongate, TR Aeroventures, and Marlinspike. The investment will allow Red 6 to mature the development of both Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) and Combined Augmented Reality Battlespace Operational Network (CARBON). “We are thrilled to have such experienced investors that see the potential in Red 6’s ultimate mission of assuring the security of the United States and its allies,” said Daniel Robinson Founder and CEO of Red 6.
In recent years, the Department of Defense has begun to pivot its training readiness focus from supporting two decades of ground-based operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, to building the capabilities required to defeat a near-peer threat. Robinson, a former Royal Air Force pilot, and first non-American to fly the F-22 Raptor, co-founded Red 6 on the belief that we are facing a national security crisis. “Control of the skies is not the pre-ordained right of the United States or its allies. With the rise of China, we are now faced with a competitor that has aligned a long-term geo-political strategy with the systematic mobilization of its military-industrial complex. Our adversaries are innovating more quickly than we are, and we are not adequately prepared. We should be very concerned,” said Robinson.
Red Cell Partners, uniquely positioned at the creative intersection of investing and national security, led the funding round, and will be appointing a firm partner to the Red 6 Board of Directors. The team includes leading technology entrepreneurs, former members of the Defense and Intelligence leadership, a deep technical team, and experienced investors. “We understand the problem Red 6 is working to solve, and believe in their solution to modernize the way combat pilots train today. We are thrilled to be deepening our pre-exsiting relationship with Red 6, and are here to support in anyway we can,” said Josh Lobel, Founding Partner of Red Cell.
“Through this capital raise, we have expanded our investor base to include organizations that are uniquely positioned in the national security community to support the development of Red 6. Together, we will leverage our core technology to not only solve a national security pain point, but to also apply it across multiple domains in military and commercial applications alike,” said Maissan Almaskati, Red 6 Chief Financial Officer.
Described as a video game in the sky by Red 6’s technology team, ATARS is a modular system featuring a stereo Augmented Reality headset integrated into the visor of a pilot’s helmet. This software/hardware suite enables multiple air-combat pilot training scenarios from simple formation flying and air-to-air refuelling, up to and including Air Combat Maneuvering (dogfighting) against a reactive Artificial Intelligence enemy.
“The technical capability, targeted market, and demonstrated effectiveness of the Red 6 product sit at the core of the Snowpoint ethos, and we are thrilled to enter into this long-term partnership with Dan and his team. The game changing technology that Red 6 has developed will not only alter air combat training as we know it today, but other industries as well,” said a spokesperson from Snowpoint Ventures.
Moonshots Capital has been an investor of Red 6’s from day one. “We are proud to support the Red 6 team as ATARS is integrated into military platforms across our nation and those of our allies,” said Kelly Perdew, Co-founder and General Partner at Moonshots Capital. Other partners and supporters of Red 6 include Lockheed Martin Ventures, Epic Games, Ret. Four Star General Mike Holmes, and Vietnam Prisioner of War Charlie Plum. “I am proud to have such a strong team that understands our value and supports the Red 6 vision,” said Robinson.
About Red 6
Red 6 is the creator of Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS). ATARS is the first wide field-of-view, full color demonstrably proven outdoor augmented reality solution that works in dynamic outdoor environments. ATARS allows Virtual and Constructive assets into the real-world by allowing pilots and ground operators to see synthetic threats in real-time, outdoors and, critically, in high-speed environments. By blending augmented reality and artificial intelligence and using both the indoor and outdoor space around us as a medium, Red 6 has redefined the limits of how the world will experience, share, and interact with its information.
SOURCE Red 6