Jason Cornelius
Co-founder and CEO of Perseus Defense. PhD in aerospace engineering, Penn State. Formerly a NASA aerospace engineer on the Titan Dragonfly mission, where he secured roughly $500K in NASA HQ funding for an AI/ML/supercomputing advanced-concepts team designing next-generation Mars helicopters; also teaches aerospace engineering at Stanford.
Jason Cornelius earned his PhD in aerospace engineering at Penn State, specializing in vertical lift technology and planetary aerial vehicles, including design work on the Dragonfly planetary aerial vehicle; he also interned as a rotorcraft researcher at NASA Ames and received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2018. He joined NASA full-time on the Titan Dragonfly mission's rotor design, then led an advanced-concepts team applying AI and supercomputing to next-generation Mars helicopter design, while also teaching aerodynamics at Stanford. He co-founded Perseus Defense in 2025 with CTO Steve Messinger through Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch, building low-cost guided micro-missile interceptors against small drone threats; the company closed a $6M seed round that September and relocated to Buda, Texas that December.
Overview
- Role
- Co-Founder & CEO, Perseus Defense
- Based in
- San Francisco, CA
- Prior experience
- NASA (Titan Dragonfly program; secured ~$500K NASA HQ advanced-concepts funding)
Affiliated funds0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- Who is Jason Cornelius?
- Jason Cornelius earned his PhD in aerospace engineering at Penn State, specializing in vertical lift technology and planetary aerial vehicles, including design work on the Dragonfly planetary aerial vehicle; he also interned as a rotorcraft researcher at NASA Ames and received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2018. He joined NASA full-time on the Titan Dragonfly mission's rotor design, then led an advanced-concepts team applying AI and supercomputing to next-generation Mars helicopter design, while also teaching aerodynamics at Stanford. He co-founded Perseus Defense in 2025 with CTO Steve Messinger through Y Combinator's Summer 2025 batch, building low-cost guided micro-missile interceptors against small drone threats; the company closed a $6M seed round that September and relocated to Buda, Texas that December.
- What is Jason Cornelius's role?
- Jason Cornelius is Co-Founder & CEO, Perseus Defense, based in San Francisco, CA.
- Where did Jason Cornelius work before?
- Jason Cornelius's prior roles include NASA (Titan Dragonfly program; secured ~$500K NASA HQ advanced-concepts funding).
Sources & citations4
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
PhD/Dragonfly research at Penn State (vertical lift, planetary aerial vehicle design, NSF fellowship)
Penn State Engineering News: Cornelius Named SURF FellowVerified2026-08-08 - 2
NASA Titan Dragonfly rotor design work + Mars helicopter AI/ML/supercomputing advanced-concepts role, ~$500K NASA HQ funding, Stanford teaching
No Cap Blog: Jason Cornelius - Founder ProfileVerified2026-08-08 - 3
Perseus Defense founding (Cornelius CEO, Messinger CTO), counter-UAS micro-missile interceptor product, Y Combinator S25
Perseus Defense: Perseus Defense - Company SiteVerified2026-08-08 - 4
Perseus Defense HQ relocation to Buda, TX (Dec 2025)
Buda EDC: Perseus Defense Emerges from Y Combinator, Establishes Buda as HeadquartersVerified2026-08-08