Hidden Level
Syracuse passive-RF firm whose no-emission AMS sensor network tracks drones and their operators for DoD and federal customers; ~$121M raised through a 2025 Series C.
Background
Jeff Cole and Gary Dominicos founded Hidden Level in Syracuse, New York, in July 2018. Both came out of SRC Inc.: Cole was director of programs at Gryphon Sensors, SRC's drone-detection spinoff, and Dominicos was Gryphon's controller; he now serves as CFO. The Airspace Monitoring Service (AMS) inverts the usual counter-drone architecture. Instead of radiating like a radar, its sensors — mounted on cell towers, rooftops and building sides — listen passively for the command and video links drones emit, then triangulate both aircraft and operator; the company cites roughly ten sensors covering 170 square miles.
Because nothing transmits, deployment needs no FCC spectrum coordination, leaves no RF footprint an adversary can detect, and sidesteps the legal exposure of active interception under US surveillance law. A passive-radar mode exploiting third-party broadcast signals extends detection toward RF-silent targets. Hidden Level retains ownership of all hardware and sells AMS as a subscription — airspace data as a service rather than boxes.
Financial footing
- Roughly $121M disclosed: a $17.6M Series A (June 2021, Lobby Capital lead), a previously unannounced $35M Series B (2024, Lauder Partners lead), and a $65M Series C (February 3, 2025, DFJ Growth lead, with Booz Allen Ventures, Revolution Growth, Costanoa Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners and Veteran Ventures)
- AMS has operated in the National Capital Region since 2021 and monitored the January 2025 presidential inauguration
- A $1.62M USAF SBIR contract (FA2385-24-C-B013, April 2024–July 2025) funds subscription drone detection after an AFWERX Phase 1 award and a two-year Air Force evaluation
- The company reports Army-program deployments to five combatant commands in 2025, a 24-hour AMS deployment at Stewart ANGB after 2025 drone incursions, and FAAD C2 integration work with Ultra I&C
- Most contract values are undisclosed
- No 2026 funding round had been announced as of July 2026
- Backers: DFJ Growth (Series C lead), Lauder Partners (Series B lead), Lobby Capital (Series A lead), Booz Allen Ventures, Revolution Growth, Costanoa Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Veteran Ventures, Valor Equity, Founders Circle Capital, Lockheed Martin Ventures
Disclosed funding totals roughly $121 million. A seed phase of about $3.4 million preceded a $17.6 million Series A in June 2021 led by Lobby Capital, with Lockheed Martin Ventures, Alsop Louie Partners, Pipeline Capital, Quest Venture Partners and Lauder Partners participating. A previously unannounced $35 million Series B closed in 2024, led by Lauder Partners with Booz Allen Ventures, Washington Harbour Partners, Veteran Ventures and Valor Equity.
The $65 million Series C followed on February 3, 2025, led by DFJ Growth with Revolution Growth, Costanoa Ventures, Founders Circle Capital and returning strategics. Valuation is not officially disclosed; Cole indicated a figure above $500 million in a February 2025 interview. No 2026 round had been announced as of July 2026, and revenue remains private.
Major customers & contracts
The base is overwhelmingly US government. The company says AMS has operated in the National Capital Region since 2021 — some of the most restricted airspace in the country — and monitored the January 2025 presidential inauguration. The Air Force awarded a $1.62 million SBIR contract (FA2385-24-C-B013, April 2024–July 2025) for subscription drone detection, following an AFWERX Phase 1 award and a completed two-year evaluation against Group 1 drones.
Hidden Level states its surge sensor platform was delivered under an Army program and deployed to five combatant commands in 2025, and that AMS covers airports, ports and military bases nationwide. After drone incursions at Stewart Air National Guard Base in 2025, it deployed AMS within 24 hours, supporting a seven-minute interdiction. Event work includes drone tracking at Dallas Cowboys home games (48 drone events cited). It is teaming with Ultra I&C to integrate AMS into the Army's FAAD C2 network and marketing toward Golden Dome and prospective FAA airport-detection mandates. Contract values beyond the SBIR award are mostly undisclosed.
Leadership & contact surface
Leadership: Jeff Cole
Official site: https://www.hiddenlevel.com
Competitive position
Against active-radar specialists — Echodyne, Chaos Industries, Robin Radar — Hidden Level's pitch is silence: no emissions means no spectrum licensing, no interference with airport systems, and persistent city-scale coverage sold as a service rather than per-site hardware. Against RF-detection rivals Dedrone (now Axon), DroneShield and MyDefence, it claims finer geolocation of both drone and operator and a networked wide-area architecture rather than point sensors.
The structural weakness is shared by all RF-passive systems: drones flying autonomously or on fiber-optic guidance emit nothing to detect, a trend Ukraine is accelerating. Its passive-radar mode, which exploits ambient broadcast signals, is the hedge, but performance against silent targets is not publicly proven. It builds no effectors, so it depends on integration into others' kill chains — making full-stack integrators like Anduril both channel and long-term threat.
Battlefield relevance
Demand is driven by the domestic incursion wave: unexplained drone sightings over New Jersey in late 2024, repeated overflights of US bases, and the 2025 Stewart ANGB incidents that Hidden Level answered with a 24-hour deployment. Ukraine supplies the doctrinal argument — emitting radars draw anti-radiation munitions, so passive sensing is what survives a contested EW environment.
The company says its sensors deployed to five combatant commands in 2025 under an Army program, including CENTCOM and INDOPACOM areas, but no Ukraine combat use is publicly confirmed. The verified record is homeland: installations, the National Capital Region, and event airspace.
Sources & verification
- syracuse.com — Syracuse startup Hidden Level develops a system for detecting drones to avoid in-air collisions (2021-07-05)
- Hidden Level press — Hidden Level expands role in national security with $100M investment in drone detection systems (2025-02-03)
- Washington Technology — Hidden Level closes $65M Series C round (2025-02-03)
- Crunchbase News — Drone Defense Startup Hidden Level Locks Up $100M in Two Rounds (2025-02-05)
- SiliconANGLE — Drone defense startup Hidden Level raises $65M for growth and security initiatives (2025-02-03)
- PR Newswire — Hidden Level expands role in national security with $100M investment (2025-02-03)
- Hidden Level press — Hidden Level Raises $17.6 Million in Series A Funding (2021-06)
- SBIR.gov — USAF award FA2385-24-C-B013, Airspace Monitoring Service (2024)
- Hidden Level — Stewart ANGB Secured: 24-Hour Airspace Security Overhaul (2025-04-02)
- syracuse.com — Syracuse's drone-detecting startup Hidden Level is flying high, growing jobs and drawing investors (2025-06-04)