Certus Core
AI platform transforming complex data into actionable decisions for defense and enterprise.
Website: https://www.certuscore.com/
Cover Block
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Certus Core |
| Tagline | AI platform transforming complex data into actionable decisions for defense and enterprise |
| Headquarters | Tampa, FL, United States |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | SaaS |
| Industry | Defense / Govtech |
| Technology Type | AI / Machine Learning, Semantic Knowledge Graphs |
| Geography | North America |
| Growth Profile | Venture Scale |
| Funding Label | Seed |
| Total Disclosed | ~$1.62M [Tracxn] |
Links
- Website: https://www.certuscore.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/certusgroupinc
- SBIR Portfolio: https://www.sbir.gov/portfolio/2090447
- Government Reseller (Carahsoft): https://www.carahsoft.com/certus-core
Executive Summary
Certus Core is a Tampa-based, veteran-founded software company building IBIS, an agentic AI platform that uses semantic knowledge graphs to let defense and enterprise users query disparate sensor, signals, and operational data in natural language [Crunchbase] [Certus Core Website]. The company was incorporated in 2021 and has spent the intervening period accumulating government traction rather than raising large amounts of private capital [PitchBook] [SBIR.gov]. Its differentiation rests on the knowledge-graph layer: rather than competing as a generic LLM application, IBIS positions itself as a context and lineage layer that connects heterogeneous data sources for downstream AI reasoning [Certus Core Website]. The founding team's veteran background appears to have translated into early access to Department of the Air Force programs, including a January 2024 AFWERX SBIR Phase I award and inclusion on eight contract vehicles via Carahsoft, among them GSA MAS, ITES-SW2, and Tradewinds Awardable [EIN Presswire, January 2024] [Carahsoft]. On the funding side, Certus Core has disclosed roughly $1.62M in seed capital from Tampa Bay Ventures and Capital Q Ventures [Tampa Bay Business Journal, February 2025] [Tampa Bay Business Journal, April 2026]. The most concrete near-term proof point is an $900K NASA contract awarded in August 2025 in partnership with SkyTL to develop AI-driven wildfire prediction tooling [Tampa Bay Business Journal, August 2025].
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by Tampa Bay Business Journal, EIN Presswire, Crunchbase, PitchBook, and Carahsoft.
Taxonomy Snapshot
| Axis | Value |
|---|---|
| Stage | Seed |
| Business Model | SaaS, with federal contract revenue |
| Industry / Vertical | Defense / Govtech, expanding into civil federal |
| Technology Type | Agentic AI, Semantic Knowledge Graphs, Natural Language Interfaces |
| Geography | North America (Tampa, FL) |
| Growth Profile | Venture Scale |
| Funding | ~$1.62M disclosed seed [Tracxn] |
How the Company Got Here
Certus Core was founded in 2021 in Tampa, Florida by a team of military veterans who encountered the same operational data integration problem repeatedly across deployments and analytic environments [PitchBook] [ZoomInfo, September 2024]. The company describes its origin as a response to how defense and enterprise organizations think about data engineering, integration, and processing, with a thesis that the binding constraint is not raw data volume but the absence of a connective semantic layer [Certus Core Website]. The corporate entity operates as Certus Core, Inc., with a parallel LLC structure (Certus Core LLC) used for SBIR program participation [Inknowvation] [SBIR.gov].
In January 2024, Certus Core was awarded an AFWERX SBIR Phase I contract to apply Semantic Knowledge Graph techniques to Department of the Air Force data challenges [EIN Presswire, January 2024]. In February 2025, Tampa Bay Ventures disclosed an investment, and in April 2026 the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that Capital Q Ventures had joined the round [Tampa Bay Business Journal, February 2025] [Tampa Bay Business Journal, April 2026]. In August 2025, Certus Core was named on a $900K NASA award in partnership with SkyTL focused on AI-powered wildfire prediction [Tampa Bay Business Journal, August 2025]. Distribution into the federal buyer has been built through Carahsoft, which lists Certus Core across eight procurement vehicles including GSA Multiple Award Schedule, ITES-SW2, and Tradewinds Awardable [Carahsoft].
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Confirmed by EIN Presswire, Tampa Bay Business Journal, PitchBook, and Carahsoft.
Product and Technology
The core product is IBIS, described by the company as user-driven edge software that enables decentralized sensor and robotics data integration with a natural-language query interface [Crunchbase]. The pitch is that mission operators can pose plain-English questions across fused sensor feeds, signals intelligence, human reporting, and historical archives, and receive context-aware responses grounded in a Semantic Knowledge Graph [Certus Core Blog]. The Semantic Knowledge Graph component is positioned as the differentiator: rather than passing raw documents to a language model, IBIS constructs a graph of entities and relationships that the model reasons over [Certus Core Website].
A published case study describes IBIS being applied to anti-money-laundering and supply-chain risk analysis [Certus Core Case Study]. On the defense side, blog content emphasizes use cases in unmanned maritime systems and border-security command centers [Certus Core Blog]. The pilot offering on the company website is structured as a fixed three-named-user package with full platform access [Certus Core Website].
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product surface confirmed by company website and Crunchbase, underlying stack and accreditation status not publicly disclosed.
Market Research and Opportunity
The defense AI and data-integration market is being reshaped by a procurement environment that is actively rewarding software-first vendors over traditional primes. The Department of Defense's pivot toward Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), the rapid scaling of AFWERX and SpaceWERX SBIR programs, and the growth of Tradewinds and OTA-style vehicles have all compressed the time between a software demo and a funded contract for credentialed small businesses [EIN Presswire, January 2024] [Carahsoft].
Demand drivers visible in the cited evidence include: (a) the AFWERX SBIR pipeline as a structured on-ramp for AI software into the Air Force [EIN Presswire, January 2024], (b) cross-agency pull, evidenced by the NASA-SkyTL wildfire prediction contract [Tampa Bay Business Journal, August 2025], and (c) channel availability through Carahsoft's eight contract vehicles [Carahsoft].
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Organizations struggling with sensor data integration | ~67% |
| NASA / SkyTL wildfire prediction contract | $900,000 |
| Carahsoft contract vehicles available | 8 |
Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Demand signals confirmed by named sources, formal TAM/SAM/SOM not present in cited research.
Competitive Landscape
Certus Core is positioned in a crowded but stratified field. The segment-by-segment competitive map breaks into three groups: large-scale defense data platforms with years of accreditation; defense-tech startups building mission software, command-and-control overlays, and autonomy stacks; and horizontal enterprise data fabric and graph database vendors.
Certus Core's defensible edge today is procurement access plus founder-credential fit. The Carahsoft listing on eight vehicles and the documented AFWERX SBIR Phase I award shorten the path from interest to contract for federal customers [Carahsoft] [EIN Presswire, January 2024]. The veteran-founded posture is a credibility signal that matters in early defense sales cycles [ZoomInfo, September 2024].
Data Accuracy: ORANGE -- Category sized via Tracxn, specific named competitors not present in captured sources, so segment analysis is qualitative.
Opportunity
If Certus Core executes, the prize is to become the default semantic and natural-language data layer that sits underneath the next generation of defense and civil-federal AI applications. The company has already cleared the two hardest gates for a defense software startup: a named program office award (AFWERX SBIR Phase I) and live presence on multiple government-wide procurement vehicles through Carahsoft [EIN Presswire, January 2024] [Carahsoft].
| Scenario | What happens | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|
| Air Force standardization | IBIS becomes a referenced semantic layer inside one or more DAF data programs | SBIR Phase I converts to Phase II / III |
| Cross-agency civil expansion | Wildfire prediction work with SkyTL becomes a template for other agencies | Successful delivery of the $900K NASA contract |
| Channel-led commercial scale | Carahsoft task orders compound across GSA MAS, ITES-SW2, and Tradewinds Awardable | A flagship USSOCOM or USAF reference deal expands |
Data Accuracy: GREEN -- Anchored in EIN Presswire, Tampa Bay Business Journal, and Carahsoft, comparables stated explicitly as scenario, not forecast.
Sources
- [Certus Core] Certus Core | IBIS | https://www.certuscore.com/
- [Certus Core] Blog | Certus Core | https://www.certuscore.com/blog
- [Certus Core] Semantic Knowledge Graphs | https://www.certuscore.com/semantic-knowledge-graph
- [Certus Core] Pilot | Certus Core | https://www.certuscore.com/pilot
- [Certus Core] About | Certus Core | https://www.certuscore.com/about
- [Certus Core] Financial Intelligence Case Study | https://www.certuscore.com/case-study/anti-money-laundering
- [ZoomInfo, September 2024] Certus Core Overview | https://www.zoominfo.com/c/certus-core/5000015818
- [Crunchbase] Certus Core Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/certus-core
- [Tracxn] Certus Core 2026 Company Profile | https://tracxn.com/d/companies/certuscore/__IVO66z1DhhfO7JbjGTFjIq6NsP2N5bvkx_ZIAmRRIsM
- [PitchBook] Certus Core 2026 Company Profile: Valuation, Funding & Investors | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/494215-48
- [Tampa Bay Business Journal, April 2026] Certus Core secures backing from Capital Q, Tampa Bay Ventures | https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2026/04/09/certus-core-investment.html
- [Business Observer, February 2025] Tampa venture capital firm invests in govtech startup | https://www.businessobserverfl.com/news/2025/feb/19/tampa-venture-capital-firm-invests-in-govtech-startup/
- [Carahsoft] Certus Core for Government | https://www.carahsoft.com/certus-core
- [EIN Presswire, January 2024] Tampa-based Certus Core awarded contract to deploy Generative AI to Air Force data | https://fox59.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/680603333/tampa-based-certus-core-awarded-contract-to-deploy-generative-ai-to-air-force-data/
- [SBIR.gov] Certus Core, Inc. | https://www.sbir.gov/portfolio/2090447
- [Inknowvation] Certus Core LLC | https://www.inknowvation.com/sbir/companies/certus-core-llc
- [Tampa Bay Business Journal, February 2025] Tampa Bay Ventures backs Certus Core, expands into govtech | https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2025/02/14/tampa-bay-ventures-certus-core-investment.html
- [EIN Presswire] Capital Q Ventures invests in Certus Core Alongside Tampa Bay Ventures | https://www.einpresswire.com/article/904713211/capital-q-ventures-invests-in-certus-core-alongside-tampa-bay-ventures-to-advance-florida-s-defense-tech-ecosystem
- [PitchBook] Tampa Bay Ventures investment portfolio | https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/466087-87
- [CB Insights] Certus Core Profile | https://www.cbinsights.com/company/certus-group
- [Tampa Bay Business Journal, August 2025] Certus Core / SkyTL NASA wildfire contract coverage | https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/
Articles about Certus Core
- Certus Core Is Selling The Air Force A Knowledge Graph From Tampa — A veteran-founded govtech bet that natural-language queries beat dashboards when the sensor feeds are this messy.