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Stratospheric birds for defense

Always-on intelligence and connectivity for Defense. Icarus builds autonomous, solar-powered aircraft that fly at 60,000 feet for weeks at a time, above the clouds harnessing the power of the Sun, but never too close. It’s the modern-day U-2 spy plane, except each costs $100K and is built by the thousands. The future of warfare is in the Stratosphere.
Active Founders
Henry Kwan
Henry Kwan
Founder
Founder & CEO of Icarus. At Orbital, Henry built spacecraft, space robots, and helped win a $935M NASA contract to build a space habitat. He saw firsthand how Space is constrained by orbital mechanics. Additionally, he has designed and flown drones for NASA flight sciences, was a finalist in two NASA aerospace design competitions, and previously advised Fortune 500 clients on strategy at Deloitte. He holds an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Top Secret SCI clearance.
Icarus
Founded:2023
Batch:Fall 2025
Team Size:6
Status:
Active
Location:Los Angeles, CA
Primary Partner:Garry Tan