Divergent raises $290M to scale AI-driven defense manufacturing, ships 10th hypercar

Summary

Divergent has closed a $290M late-stage Series E, the largest round in the company's decade-long history, and is deploying capital toward scale manufacturing in the defense sector. Lucas Singer, Divergent's founder, describes the raise as unlocking capacity to produce what he calls the most strategically significant weapon systems available to US primes and direct government customers. The immediate use of proceeds includes adding over 50,000 square feet to Divergent's Los Angeles campus and funding multiple new facilities across the US, with specific states still unannounced.

Defense Manufacturing Strategy

Divergent's expansion logic centers on proximity to customers, specifically defense prime contractors and government depot centers. Singer cites Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma as an example of the model: a factory co-located adjacent to a base sustainment operation can supply parts directly while simultaneously flexing spare capacity toward nearby prime contractors. The economics are explicitly shared-cost, meaning no single government customer carries 100% of facility overhead.

The platform's core differentiator is digital flexibility. Divergent's factories are hardware-agnostic across product categories, able to shift from automotive components to defense structural assemblies with no downtime between runs. Singer positions this as capital efficiency for government buyers who would otherwise fund single-purpose production lines.

On site selection, states and counties are actively competing for Divergent facilities, with congressional stakeholders also involved. Singer confirms conversations are underway with multiple jurisdictions but says final decisions will prioritize customer concentration and logistics proximity over incentive packages alone.

Automotive as Proof-of-Concept

The 21C hypercar program, built under the Singer brand, has reached its 10th delivery since deliveries began earlier in 2025. Cars are now operating across the US and in the UK, marking the vehicle's first entry into European markets. Singer indicates variants of the 21C and an entirely new vehicle model are in development, though no details were disclosed.

Divergent uses the 21C general assembly line, located adjacent to its core facility, as a live demonstration of its subcontractor-to-prime integrator relationship model. Prospective defense customers visiting the campus see the automotive production as a physical proof point for how Divergent operates as a structural supplier feeding a prime integrator's final assembly.

Workforce Build-Out

With fresh capital, Divergent is shifting hiring posture toward entry-level engineers and production staff, a position Singer says it could not sustain in earlier stages. The internal benchmark is progression from entry-level to lead engineer or a management track within one to three years. The company's scope spans proprietary design software, manufacturing software, custom 3D printer hardware, assembly cell engineering, and materials development, giving new hires broad cross-functional exposure within a single organization.