AI-native prime defense contractor automating aerospace parts production for government contracts
GUILD is an AI-native prime defense contractor — not a marketplace — that wins and executes US government manufacturing contracts for aerospace precision metal parts (jet components, structural parts, housings, brackets). Its AI operating model turns complex technical requirements into priced production plans, matches and coordinates qualified factories, and manages compliance, manufacturing and delivery, so each executed contract makes the next faster and cheaper. Founded 2025 in New York City by Kaya Celebi (previously AI Tech Lead at Hartree Partners, and Morgan Stanley) and Erim Gurlemis (previously Morgan Stanley Global Investment Office). Y Combinator Summer 2026 batch. NOTE: distinct from Guild Education (guild.com), the Denver education-benefits company listed separately, and from the unrelated GV-backed Guild.ai engineering-collaboration platform.
Defense📍 New York, NYFounded 2025
Current Valuation
Private
PRIVATE
IPO Outlookprivate
Is GUILD going public?
No. GUILD is private and has not filed to go public. There is no S-1 on file.
What is GUILD's valuation in 2026?
No confirmed valuation is on record for GUILD. The roster shows funding and investors where they are public; it does not estimate a mark.
Has GUILD filed an S-1?
No public S-1 is on file for GUILD.
Who are GUILD's investors?
GUILD's investors include Y Combinator.
How much has GUILD raised?
GUILD has raised $500,000 in total across 1 disclosed round, most recently a Seed (Y Combinator S26 standard deal) of $500,000 in Jun 2026.
Is GUILD publicly traded — can you buy GUILD stock?
No. GUILD is a private company — its shares are not listed on any exchange and there is no ticker. The routes to exposure are pre-IPO secondary marketplaces and funds (accredited investors), employee tender offers when the company runs one, and public companies with read-through exposure. QuantLogix maps every route it can verify for GUILD on its Pre-IPO Access Desk.
Answers are derived from the roster record shown on this page — filing status, last round and confirmed marks. Where the record is silent, the answer says so rather than guessing.
Company Profile
CEO
Kaya Celebi
Founded
2025
HQ
New York, NY
Employees
2
Total Raised
$500,000
Growth
Y Combinator Summer 2026 batch; 2-person team, no disclosed revenue
Last Round
Seed (Y Combinator S26 standard deal) — $500,000 (Jun 2026) · Lead: Y Combinator
IPO Status
private
Fundraising Status
Seed (Y Combinator S26 standard deal) · $500,000 · 3 mo ago
privateTotal raised $500,0001 disclosed rounds
Funding History
Round
Amount
Date
Lead Investor
Post-Money
Seed (Y Combinator S26 standard deal)
$500,000
Jun 2026
Y Combinator
—
Vertical Intelligence — Defense / Aerospace
No name-verified federal prime awards for GUILD in the last 36 months on USASpending.gov — revenue may be classified, flow through subcontracts, or be non-US. Absence of a registry match is reported as-is.
Checked usaspending.gov as of 2026-09-19. Re-checked weekly.
Talent Signal
Hiring trend
▼ Hiring downtrend
-17% vs 2026-08
Open roles
5
via greenhouse
Product-build share
0%
engineering, research, product, design
Trajectory
tightening
go-to-market push — Only 0% of open roles build product — hiring is concentrated in sales/marketing/ops (2 of 5 open roles are other).
Open roles trending down; no tracked executive churn.
Counted from GUILD's live job board as of 2026-09-14; role functions classified from posting titles. Open-role counts are an activity signal, not headcount. Refreshed monthly.
Founders & Key People
Kaya CelebiErim Gurlemis
Investors
Y Combinator
Products
AI contract-to-production engine (requirements to priced production plan)
Qualified supplier and factory coordination
Compliance, manufacturing and delivery management for government contracts
Competitors
hadrian · Xometry · Protolabs · Fathom Digital Manufacturing
Private-company numbers are not real-time. Reflects publicly disclosed valuations from press releases, news reports, and tender offers as of recent date. Refreshed quarterly.