Salesforce to Acquire Defense Tech Startup Rune for $375M
Salesforce continues its acquisition spree by agreeing to buy Rune, a military AI logistics startup, for $375 million in cash and stock.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Salesforce has agreed to acquire military AI software startup Rune Technologies
- The deal is valued at $375 million in cash and stock
- The purchase bolsters Missionforce, Salesforce's national security business unit
- Rune was founded in 2024 and raised $30 million in total funding
Salesforce has reportedly agreed to acquire Rune Technologies, a startup that builds artificial intelligence software to help the U.S. military predict supply needs and manage field logistics, for $375 million in cash and stock, according to Resilience Media.
This acquisition highlights Salesforce's ongoing push into the defense technology sector through Missionforce, its dedicated business unit serving national security and defense agencies. In a company blog post, Salesforce stated that since launching last year, the Missionforce business has grown 80% year over year, driven in part by a new 10-year, $5.6 billion contract with the U.S. Army.
By integrating Rune's frontline logistics data, Missionforce will expand its capabilities beyond administrative back-office planning to actively support live battlefield operations.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Since its founding in 2024, Rune has raised a total of $30 million from high-profile investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Point72 Ventures, and IQT, a CIA-backed nonprofit venture firm formerly known as In-Q-Tel. According to PitchBook data, the startup was previously valued at $127 million during its Series A funding round led by Human Capital last year.
Enterprise software giants expanding into defense tech illustrates a broader industry trend where commercial AI capabilities are increasingly deployed for national security and government logistics, securing massive, long-term federal contracts that offer stability compared to traditional commercial markets.
The deal is part of an aggressive acquisition spree by Salesforce this year. Alongside Rune, the CRM giant agreed to acquire AI agent platform Fin for $3.6 billion, purchased Qualified for $1.2 billion, and signed an agreement to buy Listen Labs after that startup walked away from a $125 million Series C term sheet at a $1.5 billion valuation, as reported by TechCrunch. Salesforce did not respond to requests for comment regarding the transaction.
Source: TechCrunch
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