Istari Digital
Agentic AI infrastructure and digital engineering platform for defense, aerospace, and no-fail industries.
Founded by former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Will Roper, Istari Digital builds a decentralized platform that connects models, simulations, data, and AI agents across organizational and security boundaries without requiring data consolidation. The company emerged from stealth in 2023 and has secured multiple Air Force contracts including the 'Model One' AFWERX award and the 'Industry Øne' initiative to break down digital engineering barriers across the Defense Industrial Base. Istari's platform enables digital twins, modeling and simulation, and AI-native engineering data management for defense and aerospace customers.
Overview
- Headquarters
- Arlington, VA
- Founded
- 2022
- Employees
- 54
- Total funding
- $40.1M
- Stage
- Seed
- Status
- active
- Domains
- Digital engineering, AI infrastructure, Modeling & simulation
- X / Twitter
- x.com/IstariDigital
- Website
- istaridigital.com
Founders2
Investors0
No linked records yet.
Cap table4
Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.
Raised per round
Percentages marked ~ are not disclosed. Some are a generic VC-pattern model (founders/team weighted heaviest, option pool lightest, other holders evenly) sized to whatever's left undisclosed — a standard industry shape, not this company's actual cap table.
| Holder | Instrument | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
Founders & team | Common | ~50.0% |
Seed investorsNew | Preferred (Seed) | ~33.3% |
Employee option pool | Options | ~16.7% |
Contracts0
No linked records yet.
Programs0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- What does Istari Digital do?
- Founded by former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Will Roper, Istari Digital builds a decentralized platform that connects models, simulations, data, and AI agents across organizational and security boundaries without requiring data consolidation. The company emerged from stealth in 2023 and has secured multiple Air Force contracts including the 'Model One' AFWERX award and the 'Industry Øne' initiative to break down digital engineering barriers across the Defense Industrial Base. Istari's platform enables digital twins, modeling and simulation, and AI-native engineering data management for defense and aerospace customers.
- Where is Istari Digital headquartered?
- Istari Digital is headquartered in Arlington, VA and was founded in 2022.
- How much funding has Istari Digital raised?
- Istari Digital has raised $40.1M in disclosed funding.
- What does Istari Digital specialize in?
- Istari Digital works across Digital engineering, AI infrastructure, Modeling & simulation.
Sources & citations3
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Founded May 2022 by Dr. Will Roper; HQ Arlington, VA; 54 employees; $40.1M total funding
LinkedIn: Istari Digital company profileReported2026-06-01 - 2
$13M seed round from Eric Schmidt; emerged from stealth February 2023
PR Newswire: Will Roper's Istari, Inc. emerges from stealth modeVerified2023-02-13 - 3
Awarded $8.6M Air Force contract for Industry Øne initiative, February 2026
PR Newswire: Department of the Air Force Awards $8.6M to Istari Digital for Industry ØneVerified2026-02-27