The Department of Government Efficiency is dead; its alumni network is just getting started. Cathedral, a military AI-cybersecurity startup founded by four former DOGE staffers, emerged from stealth on July 22 with $160 million led by Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital at a $1.4 billion valuation, Reuters reported exclusively.
The founders
The quartet became famous — and controversial — as Elon Musk's cost-cutters: Gavin Kliger, most recently the Pentagon's chief data officer; Luke Farritor, the ex-SpaceX intern who won fame decoding Herculaneum scrolls before slashing GSA budgets; Marko Elez, the ex-SpaceX engineer who worked Treasury systems; and Jack Stein.
The product
Cathedral builds AI-driven cyber operations for the US military and government — explicitly both offensive and defensive — aimed at adversaries such as China. The company is also exploring acquiring a data center or partnering with a provider for dedicated compute, reflecting the classified nature of the work.
The backers' bet
Both lead firms take board seats — a16z and Sequoia doubling down on defense tech at seed-unicorn pricing for a company with no disclosed product or contracts.
The risk
DOGE was formally disbanded on July 4, and its veterans remain polarizing — Elez resigned from his Treasury role after the Wall Street Journal surfaced racist social-media posts, only to be rehired days later. Reuters notes the obvious hazard: Cathedral's government-contracting prospects could dim sharply if Democrats retake Congress in the November midterms. For now, the founders are selling Washington the same thing they sold Musk: speed, and a very high tolerance for controversy.