ODC, a U.S.-based developer of AI-native Radio Access Network (AI-RAN) technology, has raised $45M in Series A funding led by Booz Allen Ventures, Cisco Investments, Nokia, and NVIDIA. The company builds the Odyssey platform, which unifies communication, environmental sensing, and edge intelligence into a single open-architecture fabric for software-defined 5G/6G networks. The capital will accelerate development and commercialization of this sovereign, U.S.-supply-chain-assured platform.
AI-RAN Momentum Builds in 2026
The raise follows key market developments, including the AI-RAN Alliance reaching 132 members in February 2026 and AT&T committing $14B to Open RAN with Ericsson in March. ODC joins amid NVIDIA's GTC push to reinvent RAN and post-MWC O-RAN Summit focus on AI-enabled networks. These events signal accelerating adoption of AI-integrated Open RAN for edge compute and national security applications.
Sovereign Supply Chains Gain Priority
U.S. initiatives like the Rip & Replace program and BEAD funding prioritize Open RAN to counter foreign vendor dominance and ensure secure infrastructure. Telecom operators seek vendor diversification and lower TCO through disaggregated architectures. Current solutions often lack integrated AI for real-time sensing and inference, limiting 5G/6G potential in defense and industrial uses.
Odyssey Unifies Comms Sensing AI
ODC's Odyssey platform transforms cell sites into a distributed compute grid using NVIDIA Aerial for GPU-accelerated Layer 1/2 processing and co-located AI inference. This enables physical AI, agentic AI, and applications like eVTOL and robotics. Unlike hardware-focused rivals, ODC emphasizes programmable software stack with real-time AI orchestration via RAN IQ.
As Ronnie Vasishta, SVP of Telecom at NVIDIA, noted:
"ODC’s AI‑RAN stack is a key enabler… strong on‑ramp to 6G."
Corporates Validate Edge Transformation
Strategic investors including Cisco Investments and Nokia provide validation for ODC's shift from traditional RAN to AI-native fabrics. NVIDIA's participation underscores integration with Aerial for distributed edge AI. Operators like AT&T, MTN, and Telecom Italia signal global commercial interest, while Booz Allen adds mission-critical defense focus.
As Masum Mir, SVP/GM Provider Mobility at Cisco, stated:
"AI-RAN has the potential to drive a critical infrastructure transformation."
Open RAN Scales to $45B by 2034
The Open RAN market stands at $7.24B in 2026, projected to reach $45.87B by 2034 at 25.95% CAGR, per Fortune Business Insights. Competitors like Mavenir ($650M+ raised) offer cloud-native stacks, while Parallel Wireless ($39M) targets rural deployments. ODC differentiates in sovereign AI unification amid U.S. security pushes and AI-RAN trends.
Ex-Altiostar Team Drives Execution
ODC's leadership draws heavily from Altiostar Networks, which deployed over 100K 5G sites and pioneered Open RAN. Kana Muhunthan co-founded Sigalgo (acquired by Altiostar), and Venkatesh N co-founded Anvaya Networks with LTE patents. This team excels in radio engineering, 5G architecture, and platform scaling essential for AI-RAN commercialization.
2026 Commercial Ramps Ahead
ODC plans ramping commercial engagements with global customers in 2026, building on partnerships with NVIDIA and telecom leaders. The funding supports production-ready 5G Advanced AI-RAN stack deployments featuring 380x faster Massive MIMO L2 processing and 7x cell capacity gains.