Simpson Thacher is representing Blackstone in connection with its investment in Shield AI. Shield AI is raising $1.5 billion in Series G funding at a $12.7 billion post-money valuation, and funds managed by Blackstone are investing $500 million of preferred equity financing and have also committed an additional $250 million delayed draw facility to support Shield AI’s future growth. A portion of the proceeds will help fund Shield AI’s planned acquisition of Aechelon Technology Inc., a defense software company known for its high-fidelity simulation, physics-based sensors and synthetic reality applications.
Shield AI is a defense technology company that develops artificial intelligence-powered systems and autonomy software for military applications.
The Simpson Thacher team includes Michael Chao, Anthony Vernace, Julia Tory, Avery Golombek and Soraia Esteves (M&A); Brian Gluck (Banking and Credit); Jonathan Ozner (Capital Markets); Jonathan Goldstein, Sophie Staples, George Rhein and Roberto Arza (Tax); Gregory Grogan and Jesslyn Nunez (Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits); Lori Lesser, Isabella Gonzalez, Alexander Kokka and Corina DeFeo (Intellectual Property & Privacy); Leah Malone, Carina Mitchell and Matt Feehily (ESG); Peter Guryan, Kelly Karapetyan and Nathaniel Bronstein (Antitrust); Mick Tuesley, Ryan Stalnaker and Shinae Yoon (Regulatory); and Krista McManus (Real Estate).