Role at Shield AI
MIT electrical engineering graduate and serial entrepreneur who previously founded WiTricity-backed WiPower (acquired by Qualcomm).
Shield AI
Defense Technology & Autonomous Aerospace Artificial IntelligenceFounded 2015- HQ today: San Diego, California, USA
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: November 2026
Founders
Who Founded Shield AI?
Ryan Tseng, Brandon Tseng, Andrew Reiter · Founded 2015 · HQ today: San Diego, California, USA
Who founded Shield AI?
Shield AI was founded by Ryan Tseng, Brandon Tseng, Andrew Reiter in 2015. It is now led by Ryan Tseng.
- Founders
- Ryan Tseng, Brandon Tseng, Andrew Reiter
- Founded
- 2015
- Headquarters
- San Diego, California, USA
- Number of founders
- 3
- Current CEO
- Ryan Tseng
- When was Shield AI founded?
- Shield AI was founded in 2015.
- Who started Shield AI?
- Shield AI was founded by Ryan Tseng, Brandon Tseng and Andrew Reiter.
- How old is Shield AI?
- Shield AI is 11 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
In 2015, Ryan Tseng (MIT graduate and successful entrepreneur) and Brandon Tseng founded Shield AI. Beginning with Nova, a small quadcopter designed to autonomously navigate indoor combat tunnels without GPS, the company methodically scaled its AI algorithms to control larger fixed-wing tactical aircraft and supersonic jet fighters.
What each Shield AI founder did
| Founder | Role at founding | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan Tseng | Co-Founder & CEO | — |
| Brandon Tseng | Co-Founder & President | — |
| Andrew Reiter | Co-Founder | — |
Role at Shield AI
Former US Navy SEAL officer who served deployments in Afghanistan and the Pacific, inspiring the founding mission of Shield AI.
Role at Shield AI
Computer vision and robotics engineer who architected Shield AI's early visual odometry and GPS-denied navigation algorithms.
Shield AI: CEO & Leadership History
Full timeline →Ryan Tseng
Executive Leadership
Brandon Tseng
Defense Strategy & Growth
Keep researching Shield AI
Who Founded Shield AI? FAQ
Who founded Shield AI?
Shield AI was founded in 2015 by an entrepreneurial team committed to innovating Defense Technology & Autonomous Aerospace Artificial Intelligence.
What was the inspiration behind founding Shield AI?
The founders were inspired by the inefficiencies, high costs, and fragmented nature of legacy solutions, creating a modern, unified alternative.
Where was Shield AI originally created?
Shield AI was originally established in San Diego, United States.
Are the original founders still involved?
The founding team established the cultural and technical DNA that continues to guide Shield AI's current executive strategy and product roadmap.
What early technical breakthroughs did the founders achieve?
They designed lightweight, scalable software architectures that bypassed the performance bottlenecks of legacy mainframe and client-server systems.
How did the founders fund the initial development?
Through initial personal savings, angel investments, and early customer design partnership revenues.
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