Canada's Defence Tech Boost
Dominion Dynamics Secures Record CAD 139M to Boost Arctic Defence Tech
Anonymous
Key Points
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Dominion's Series A attracted a broader international roster of backers beyond Georgian Partners, with Valor Equity Partners, Valor Atreides AI Fund, Expeditions, Lakestar and JDY Capital participating, signaling wider confidence in Canada's defence-tech ecosystem.
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Dominion is planning substantial manufacturing expansion, currently operating a 30,000 sq ft Kanata facility, with aims to grow to about 300,000 sq ft in facilities across Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, or the West Coast to hire hundreds or thousands.
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AuraNet has already been deployed with the Canadian Rangers in the High Arctic during Operation Nanook-Nunalivut, where Arctic-hardened sensors fed a real-time operating picture, in a self-funded exercise that informed rapid iterative development.
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Total capital raised by Dominion since launching in June 2025 now stands at CAD 169 million, underscoring rapid growth as the company scales its Arctic surveillance network and Scout drone platform.
Ottawa-based defence startup Dominion Dynamics has closed a CAD 139 million Series A — the largest early-stage defence funding round in Canadian history, according to BetaKit. Led by returning investor Georgian Partners, the round brings total capital raised to CAD 169 million since the company launched in June 2025.
The money will fuel two core products: AuraNet, a real-time Arctic surveillance network, and Scout, an autonomous drone designed to operate in extreme cold. CEO Eliot Pence said the raise reflects a national shift in ambition. "Canada once built technology the rest of the world wanted, then convinced itself that was someone else's role," he said, per PR Newswire.
A Historic Investor Lineup Bets on Arctic Tech
Georgian Partners led the round alongside a wide group of domestic and global backers. New investors include Valor Equity Partners — an early backer of SpaceX and Tesla — as well as Lakestar, BDC, OMERS, RBC, Deloitte Ventures, JDY Capital, and Expeditions, according to MarketScreener. The breadth of the group signals that Canadian defence tech is no longer seen as a niche or ethically fraught sector to avoid.
Georgian investor Margaret Wu has championed what she calls the "Neoprime" model: startups that move faster than legacy contractors. Georgian views Dominion as a gateway into Canada's CAD 900 million drone and aerospace investment pipeline, unlocked by the new Defence Industrial Strategy in March 2026, per BetaKit.
AuraNet Proved Itself at -40°C in the High Arctic
Dominion didn't wait for a government contract to test its tech. From February to April 2026, the company ran a 52-day, self-funded trial of AuraNet during Operation Nanook-Nunalivut, per CBC. Canadian Rangers in the Northwest Passage used the platform to track activity in real time at temperatures of -40°C.
Engineers pushed over 200 software updates during the 52-day field trial — a pace unheard of in traditional defence contracting, according to Resilience Media. Lieutenant-Colonel Travis Hanes, who led the Rangers during the trial, said AuraNet was the first system to account for the "glove-on" reality of the North, where small buttons and touchscreens simply don't work.
Manufacturing to Expand Tenfold as Hiring Ramps Up
Dominion currently operates a 30,000 sq ft facility in Kanata, Ontario. The company plans to grow to roughly 300,000 sq ft — a tenfold increase — with potential new sites in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, or the West Coast, per BetaKit. The expansion is expected to add hundreds or thousands of engineering and technical jobs.
Beyond manufacturing, Dominion is eyeing exports to the U.S., Australia, and NATO allies in Northern Europe, according to Tectonic Defence. The Scout autonomous drone and AuraNet surveillance network are both designed for harsh environments, making them relevant far beyond Canada's 200,000 km coastline.
Canada's Procurement Gap Still Threatens Dominion's Path Forward
Despite the historic raise, Pence was candid about the obstacles ahead. He described the Canadian defence industry as being in a "liminal state," caught between outdated procurement rules and a fast-moving threat environment, per BetaKit. Canada only hit its NATO spending target of 2% of GDP in March 2026 — decades after the commitment was made.
Some analysts warn of a "sovereignty trap": if Ottawa becomes too reliant on a single domestic startup, broader competition in the sector could stall, per Tectonic Defence. The Carney government's Defence Industrial Strategy is itself on trial. If Dominion fails to convert this capital into long-term federal contracts, venture investment in Canadian defence could dry up for years.
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