Radian Forge Raises $2.5M Seed to Scale Additive Manufacturing for Naval and Defense Parts

Radian Forge Secures $2.5 Million Seed Round

Radian Forge, a Portsmouth, Virginia-based advanced manufacturing company, has raised a $2.5 million Seed round led by Veteran Ventures Capital. The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) also participated. The funding was announced on September 15, 2026.

What Radian Forge Does

Radian Forge produces large-scale, precision-grade metal components for the U.S. naval, maritime, and defense industrial base. The company uses large-format Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), a robotic deposition process that builds metal parts layer by layer.

The company says its process yields parts with material properties between castings and forgings, while cutting production lead times by 40 to 80 percent. Each robot is run by a single operator, a detail that matters for cost structure and scalability in a manufacturing environment where skilled labor is a constraint.

Who It Serves

Radian Forge's customers are shipyards, depots, and fleet sustainment operations that need mission-critical parts in weeks rather than months. That demand profile is central to the company's value proposition: the U.S. naval and defense industrial base frequently faces long lead times for large metal components, and additive manufacturing offers a path to compress those timelines.

Company Background

Radian Forge was founded in 2025 and is led by Jeff Yeager, a service-disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran. The company's veteran leadership and defense focus align with the investment thesis of lead investor Veteran Ventures Capital, which backs veteran-led businesses.

Why the Round Matters

The Seed funding gives Radian Forge capital to scale its large-format WAAM capabilities at a time when the defense industrial base is under pressure to shorten supply chains and reduce dependency on long-lead castings and forgings.

Key elements of the opportunity:

• Lead time reduction: 40 to 80 percent shorter production timelines versus conventional methods, according to the company.
• Material performance: Parts with properties between castings and forgings.
• Labor efficiency: One operator per robot run.
• Market focus: Naval, maritime, and defense sustainment, where parts availability directly affects fleet readiness.

The Investor Mix

The round combines venture capital and public-sector innovation support. Veteran Ventures Capital led, while the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation participated. VIPC's involvement reflects Virginia's interest in advanced manufacturing and defense-adjacent industrial capacity within the state.

What to Watch

For observers of the defense industrial base and advanced manufacturing, Radian Forge sits at the intersection of two durable trends: the adoption of additive manufacturing for production-grade metal parts, and the push to strengthen domestic supply chains for naval and defense sustainment.

The company's next milestones will likely center on scaling production capacity, expanding relationships with shipyards and depots, and demonstrating that WAAM-produced components can meet the qualification standards required for mission-critical naval applications.