Software-first visual positioning product that matches live EO or LWIR imagery to pre-generated reference maps and outputs position over MAVLink on NDAA-compliant commodity hardware.

Maturity not rated

Micro VPS (Micro Visual Positioning System)

Pod-mounted visual positioning system that compares camera imagery with onboard satellite maps to give drones position without GPS; flown 564 km over Florida in March 2026.

Prototype

Newest unveiled first. Open a product for its milestone timeline, components and sources.

Technologies1

Technologies
Technology	Role	Maturity	TRL	Notes	Confidence
Visual and terrain-relative navigation	Developer	Prototype	—	—	Reported

Visual and terrain-relative navigation
Developer
PrototypeReported

Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.

Funding1 round · $4.3M

Disclosed: $4.3M
Latest: $4.3MSeed · Apr 17, 2025

Funding rounds
Announced	Stage	Amount	Valuation	Lead investors	Other investors	Confidence
Apr 17, 2025	Seed	$4.3M	—	First Round Capital	Lux Capital, Y Combinator	Confirmed

Seed
Led by First Round Capital
With Lux Capital, Y Combinator
Confirmed
$4.3M
Apr 17, 2025

Totals add known amounts using recorded USD conversions where available; other currencies are shown separately. A ~ marks an estimated amount.

Government awards & programs2 awards · $336K obligated · up to $237K ceiling

Awards received2

Awards received
Announced	Award	Agency	Type	Program	Obligated	Ceiling	Confidence
Oct 6, 2025	Subcontract under Sierra Nevada Company order FA862023F4122 (services)SUB:FA862023F4122:10082707	U.S. Air Force	Contract	—	$99K	—	Confirmed
—	COMPASS onboard visual navigation units (purchase order)FA480326P0029	U.S. Air Force	Contract	—	$237K	$237K	Confirmed

Subcontract under Sierra Nevada Company order FA862023F4122 (services)
Oct 6, 2025 · Contract
From U.S. Air Force
Confirmed
$99K
Obligated
COMPASS onboard visual navigation units (purchase order)
Undated · Contract
From U.S. Air Force
Confirmed
$237K
Obligated · up to $237K ceiling

Obligated is what has been committed so far; ceiling is the most the award can reach. Joint values cover all recipients and are excluded from this company’s money totals.

Supply chain1 facility

Facilities1

Facilities
Facility	Kind	Location	Status	Confidence
Theseus San Francisco office	Headquarters	San Francisco, California, United States	Operating	Reported

Theseus San Francisco office
Headquarters · San Francisco, California, United States
Operating
Reported

People5

Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer

Founder

Carl Schoeller

Chief Executive Officer

Executive

Ian Laffey

Chief Executive Officer

Executive

Company metrics

LinkedIn employee profiles: 12; Observed Oct 5, 2026
Bright Data / LinkedIn · Source ↗
LinkedIn followers: 4,868; Observed Oct 5, 2026
Bright Data / LinkedIn · Source ↗

Employee-profile counts reflect LinkedIn profiles associated with the company, not verified headcount. One observation establishes a baseline; it does not establish growth.

News4

Open in the news feed →

May 6, 2026Government recordContract FA480326P0029 to Theseus Technology CorporationUSAspending.gov Apr 7, 2026NewsTheseus tests GPS-denied navigation system over 550 km flightDefence Blog Apr 17, 2025NewsDefense tech Theseus landed Y Combinator, the US Special Forces, and $4.3M from a tweetTechCrunch Aug 22, 2024NewsA group of 20-somethings built a GPS-independent drone in 24 hours—and caught the eye of US special operations forcesDefense One

Sources10

Profile3

1
OtherBlack Flag 100.2
Black Flag · Supports Organization
“Theseus builds software that gives drones reliable positioning without GPS, using onboard cameras and reference maps. It runs on commodity hardware, supports”
2
DatabaseTheseus — crunchbase profile
Crunchbase via Bright Data · Supports Organization · num employees
“{"num_employees": "1-10"}”
3
DatabaseTheseus — linkedin profile
Linkedin via Bright Data · Supports Organization · logo, Organization · url
“{"logo": "https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D560BAQFxW3DT5Fyg2Q/company-logo_200_200/company-logo_200_200/0/1715367090664/theseustech_logo?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=yLtA7CA3dSnP1nrHtb7qk4x-0NcZamcElCgvA1oN28k"}”

Products3

4
NewsTheseus tests GPS-denied navigation system over 550 km flight
Defence Blog · Apr 7, 2026 · Supports Organization technology, Role, System, System · system input:edge-ai-compute
“The company said its Micro Visual Positioning System completed a 5-hour, 22-minute flight covering about 564 kilometers during a March test in central Florida.”
5
CompanyTheseus Raises $4.3M to Make Unmanned Missions Possible Without GPS
Theseus · Apr 17, 2025 · Supports Funding round · investors, System
“led by First Round Capital, with participation from Y Combinator and Lux Capital.”
6
CompanyTheseus: GPS-denied visual autonomy
Theseus · Supports System
“Compares live camera imagery against pre-generated reference maps to estimate vehicle position in real time”

Technologies1

7
Government recordContract FA480326P0029 to Theseus Technology Corporation
USAspending.gov · May 6, 2026 · Supports Government award · obligated amount, Organization · legal name, Organization technology
“Recipient: THESEUS TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION; Total obligation: $237,000.00; Base and all options value: $237,000.00”

Funding1

8
NewsDefense tech Theseus landed Y Combinator, the US Special Forces, and $4.3M from a tweet
TechCrunch · Apr 17, 2025 · Supports Facility, Funding round · amount, Organization · hq city, Role
“Now, their San Francisco-based company, Theseus, has just raised $4.3 million in seed funding in a round led by First Round Capital, with additional backing from Y Combinator and Lux Capital”

Government1

9
Government recordPrime award FA862023F4122 (Sierra Nevada Company, LLC), sub-award 10082707
USAspending.gov · Oct 6, 2025 · Supports Government award · obligated amount
“Sub-Award ID: 10082707; Sub-Awardee Name: THESEUS TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION; Sub-Award Amount: 99,000.00; Sub-Award Date: 2025-10-06; Sub-Award Description: SERVICES; Prime Recipient Name: SIERRA NEVADA COMPANY, LLC”

People1

10
CompanyTheseus: GPS Denied Navigation for Drones
Y Combinator · Supports Organization, Organization · founded year, Role
“Theseus builds visual navigation software for GPS-denied drone operations.”

Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.