Salesforce to buy defense-tech startup Rune for $375M

Salesforce has agreed to acquire Rune Technologies, a startup whose AI software helps the US military forecast supply needs and run logistics in the field, in a deal worth $375 million in cash and stock, according to a report from Resilience Media. The purchase extends Salesforce’s push into defense tech through Missionforce, the business unit it runs for national security and defense agencies; Missionforce’s revenue has climbed 80% year over year since its launch last year, helped by a fresh 10-year contract worth $5.6 billion with the US Army, the company said in a blog post. Folding in Rune’s frontline logistics data will let Missionforce move beyond back-office planning and into supporting operations on the battlefield itself.

Founded in 2024, Rune had raised $30 million in total from backers including Andreessen Horowitz, Point72 Ventures, and IQT — a CIA-backed nonprofit venture firm previously called In-Q-Tel. PitchBook puts its last valuation at $127 million, set when Human Capital led the startup’s Series A last year.

This is just the latest in a string of acquisitions for Salesforce this year: the CRM giant has also agreed to purchase the AI agent platform Fin, formerly known as Intercom, for $3.6 billion, bought the company Qualified for $1.2 billion, and struck a deal for Listen Labs after that startup turned down a $125 million Series C term sheet valuing it at $1.5 billion, TechCrunch previously reported. A Salesforce spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

Why it matters

The deal shows Salesforce treating defense logistics as a genuine growth line, not just a one-off contract: folding Rune’s frontline data into Missionforce extends the unit from administrative work into live battlefield support, a capability that could feed future Pentagon contracts as the CRM giant keeps shopping for AI-focused acquisitions across its business.