Icarus
Fall 2025 · Active
Stratospheric birds for defense
Location: Los Angeles, CA, US
Founded: 2023
Team size: 8
Industries:
About
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.
Founders
Henry KwanFounder
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.