Salesforce has agreed to acquire Rune Technologies, a defense software startup whose AI helps troops in the field forecast what they will need and keep logistics moving, in a deal Resilience Media priced at $375 million in cash and stock.
That takes the CRM giant’s year-long buying run into national security. The work runs through Missionforce, the business unit that serves defense and intelligence agencies and that has grown revenue 80% year over year since its launch, helped by a new 10-year Army contract worth $5.6 billion.
Rune, founded in 2024, builds software that predicts supply requirements and manages logistics when connectivity is thin. Folding its frontline data into Missionforce would let Salesforce reach battlefield operations rather than stop at back-office administrative planning.
Funding at the startup totals $30 million across its life, with Andreessen Horowitz, Point72 Ventures and IQT among the backers. IQT is the CIA-backed nonprofit venture firm once known as In-Q-Tel. PitchBook puts the last valuation at $127 million, from a Human Capital-led Series A in the prior year, so the reported price implies roughly a threefold markup.
Salesforce offered no comment in response to questions, and neither side confirmed the terms.
The purchase sits inside a string of deals that show Salesforce buying both revenue and technology. A $3.6 billion agreement covers AI agent platform Fin, once known as Intercom. Qualified went for $1.2 billion. Listen Labs signed up after walking away from a $125 million Series C term sheet at a $1.5 billion valuation.
For defense founders, the lesson is that a short track record can still command a premium when the buyer already holds the contract vehicle. Rune went from first check to a nine-figure exit in about two years, a pace that was rare before software drew military budgets.
