Built by People Who Understand the Mission
Beacon started in 2021 because the most integrated system in the cockpit was still the pilot’s brain, and the founders set out to build a platform to support it.
The founding team deliberately pairs aviators who have flown demanding missions with engineers who shipped self-driving cars and defense-grade autonomy. Cockpit judgment tells you what matters at altitude, and autonomy engineering tells you what can be built to safety-critical standards, and Beacon needs both.
Proven in Flight, Now Ramping Up
2021–2025
Proving the Idea
Aviators and autonomy engineers founded Beacon.
Beacon wins its first twelve U.S. defense contracts and three airline engagements.
Beacon completes an across-the-country flight-test campaign with the U.S. Air Force on its own aircraft.
2026
Ramping Up
USSOCOM signs a Phase 3 prototype OTA with a $49.5M ceiling and a path to production.
Kevin Stamey, former Program Executive Officer for Mobility, joins as an advisor.
Major product milestone announcement coming soon.
The chapter ahead: more aircraft, more missions, and working hard so that more crews come home safe.
Experienced Founders From Self‑Driving Cars, Robotics, and Aviation
Matt Cox
Co-Founder
A former U.S. Navy aviator with more than 20 years of flying experience, Matt previously managed lidar software engineering at Cruise, helped build Scale AI’s federal business, and served as an autonomy program manager at the Defense Innovation Unit.
Avi Nair
Co-Founder
Before co-founding Beacon, Avi built lidar perception and automated testing tools for self-driving cars at Cruise, after earning a master’s degree in computer science from Columbia University.
Guided by Leaders in Aviation Safety and Air Mobility
Hon. Robert Sumwalt
Former Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board
Joined the advisory team in 2021.
Ali Bahrami
Former Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, FAA
Joined the advisory team in 2022.
Kevin Stamey
Former Program Executive Officer for Mobility, U.S. Air Force
Joined the advisory team in 2026.
Investors and Programs
Beacon has raised more than $20 million in venture capital to bring AI into flight decks, and is in a healthy financial position to grow the team and expand what the platform does.
Investors
Costanoa Ventures · Sam Altman · JetBlue Ventures · Scout Ventures · Mischief · Countdown Capital · Lachy Groom · and others
Programs
On Deck Top Companies 2023
MissionLink 2024
We Are Hiring Across Engineering and Operations
Most of the team is engineering, and most of the work ends up in front of a crew.
