Cyclops
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
Startup · United States
Theseus
HQ San Francisco, CaliforniaFounded 20241-10 employees
Develops camera-and-map-based visual positioning for drones operating without GPS (Micro VPS, Cyclops). Y Combinator 2024 company.
May 6, 2026Government recordContract FA480326P0029 to Theseus Technology CorporationUSAspending.govApr 7, 2026NewsTheseus tests GPS-denied navigation system over 550 km flightDefence BlogApr 17, 2025NewsDefense tech Theseus landed Y Combinator, the US Special Forces, and $4.3M from a tweetTechCrunchAug 22, 2024NewsA group of 20-somethings built a GPS-independent drone in 24 hours—and caught the eye of US special operations forcesDefense One
- May 6, 2026Government recordUSAspending.govContract FA480326P0029 to Theseus Technology Corporation
- Apr 7, 2026NewsDefence BlogTheseus tests GPS-denied navigation system over 550 km flight
- Apr 17, 2025NewsTechCrunchDefense tech Theseus landed Y Combinator, the US Special Forces, and $4.3M from a tweet
- Aug 22, 2024NewsDefense OneA group of 20-somethings built a GPS-independent drone in 24 hours—and caught the eye of US special operations forces
Funding2 rounds · $4.3M
- Equity raised
- $4.3M
- Latest
- $4.3MSeed · Apr 17, 2025
| Announced | Stage | Amount | Valuation | Lead investors | Other investors | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2025 | Seed | $4.3M | — | First Round Capital | Lux Capital, Y Combinator | Confirmed |
| 2024 | Pre-Seed | Undisclosed | — | Y Combinator | — | Reported |
- $4.3MApr 17, 2025
- Pre-SeedLed by Y CombinatorUndisclosed2024
Raised counts equity rounds; debt, secondary sales and grants are totaled separately. Amounts in other currencies are converted at the announcement month's average rate. A ~ marks an estimated or converted amount.
Systems2
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 system for its milestone timeline, components and sources.
Capabilities1
| Technology | Role | Maturity | TRL | Notes | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual and terrain-relative navigation | Developer | Prototype | — | — | Reported |
Maturity and TRL describe this organization's work; the field-wide maturity is on each technology's page.
Supply Chain1 facility
Facilities1
| Facility | Kind | Location | Status | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theseus San Francisco office | Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States | Operating | Reported |
- Theseus San Francisco officeHeadquarters · San Francisco, California, United StatesOperatingReported
People4
- Carl Schoeller · LinkedIn ↗
Co-founder
- Ian Laffey · LinkedIn ↗
Co-founder
- Sacha Lévy · LinkedIn ↗
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
- Ian Laffey · LinkedIn ↗
Chief Executive Officer
Hiring Observations2 observed listings
Checked Oct 13, 2026
Lead Robotics Software Engineer, Localization ↗
Engineering
Open when checked · Y Combinator company jobs page
Checked Oct 13, 2026
A sample of observed listings, not a total vacancy count. Availability may have changed since collection. Categories are inferred from job titles.
Company Metrics
Employee-profile counts reflect LinkedIn profiles associated with the company, not verified headcount. One observation establishes a baseline; it does not establish growth.
Sources11
Show all 11 sources and supporting evidence
Profile1
- 1OtherBlack 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”
Systems3
- 2
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.”
- 3
Theseus · Apr 17, 2025 · Supports Funding round · investors, System
“led by First Round Capital, with participation from Y Combinator and Lux Capital.”
- 4
Theseus · Supports System
“Compares live camera imagery against pre-generated reference maps to estimate vehicle position in real time”
Technologies1
- 5Government recordContract FA480326P0029 to Theseus Technology Corporation
USAspending.gov · May 6, 2026 · Supports Organization · legal name, Organization technology
“Recipient: THESEUS TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION; Awarding Sub Agency: Department of the Air Force”
Funding3
- 6
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”
- 7
Crunchbase · Supports Funding round, Organization · num employees, Organization · status
“funding_rounds: {"last_funding_type": "seed", "num_funding_rounds": 2}”
- 8CompanyTHESEUS — About
Theseus · Supports Funding round, Organization
“We applied to Y Combinator and became the first defense company ever accepted into the program”
People1
- 9
Y Combinator · Supports Organization, Organization · founded year, Role
“Theseus builds visual navigation software for GPS-denied drone operations.”
Other2
- 10DatabaseTheseus — linkedin profile
Linkedin via Bright Data · Supports Organization · logo, Organization · url, Organization metric · employees in linkedin, Organization metric · followers
“{"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"}”
- 11
Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.