Austin 3D firm Icon hires Will Hurd
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Will Hurd speaking at the Iowa State Fair in 2023. Photo: Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Will Hurd, the former Republican congressman from San Antonio, has joined Austin-based 3D construction firm Icon as it makes a push for more government contracts.
Why it matters: The firm is looking to diversify its revenue streams amid a housing market still slowed by high interest rates.
Driving the news: The company is announcing Tuesday the launch of Icon Prime, a dedicated defense and space tech business unit focused on deploying Icon's robotic construction systems for the U.S. military and NASA.
Between the lines: Hurd is the president of the new unit, leading strategy as Icon builds its government partnerships, the company also announced Tuesday.
- "The demand signal is through the roof," Hurd tells Axios about the need for inexpensive, rapidly scalable military housing. Meanwhile, the "imagery coming back from Artemis II is driving engineering here at Icon right now" as NASA and commercial space companies prepare to send material and people to the Moon.
By the numbers: To date, Icon has been awarded more than $360 million in government contracts, including for the construction of military barracks.
What's next: The company won a $62.8 million contract from the U.S. Army in December 2025 to build 10 3D-printed barracks at Fort Bliss in El Paso.
- A second, $67.9 million Army contract, awarded in March, is for a billeting area at Fort Polk in Louisiana.
State of play: Since its founding in 2017, Icon has raised $551 million in investment. It has just over 250 employees, company officials tell Axios.
The intrigue: Hurd, a former intelligence officer who represented the sprawling 23rd District for three terms, has been a big critic of President Trump, even running briefly for president ahead of the 2024 election as a never-Trumper.
- "When it comes to making sure our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardians lay their head safely down each night ... that's not a bipartisan issue, it's a nonpartisan issue that everyone can get behind," Hurd tells Axios.