Salesforce to Buy Rune for $375M, Adding Battlefield AI — SkimNews
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- Salesforce agreed to acquire Rune Technologies for $375 million in cash and stock, according to Resilience Media; the company did not respond to a request for comment.
- Rune Technologies builds AI software that helps the U.S. military predict supply needs and manage logistics from the field, and since its 2024 founding has raised $30 million from Andreessen Horowitz, Point72 Ventures and IQT, the CIA-backed nonprofit venture firm formerly known as In-Q-Tel.
- Human Capital led Rune's Series A last year at a $127 million valuation, according to PitchBook — well below the $375 million Salesforce agreed to pay for the startup.
- U.S. Army signed a new 10-year, $5.6 billion contract with Salesforce that helped drive Missionforce's 80% year-over-year growth in the year since the business unit launched.
- Missionforce will integrate Rune's frontline logistics data, extending the unit beyond back-office administrative planning to support battlefield operations.
- Fin (formerly Intercom) is one of three other companies Salesforce agreed to buy this year: $3.6 billion for Fin, $1.2 billion for Qualified and a signed agreement to buy Listen Labs after it walked away from a $125 million Series C term sheet at a $1.5 billion valuation.
Why it matters: Salesforce is paying roughly three times Rune's last $127 million private valuation for a 2024-founded startup. Missionforce's 80% year-over-year growth and new $5.6 billion, 10-year Army contract show the defense business is already scaling, and Rune's field data moves it beyond back-office planning.
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