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The most transformative technologies emerge from the intersection of necessity and ingenuity—where the stakes are high, and the drive to innovate is unrelenting. This is evident in the history of defense tech founders, who turn necessity into invention and constraints into capabilities. These innovators have transformed the crucible of conflict into protection and progress.

As traditional defense giants stagnate delivering on traditional cost-plus contracts, and some tech firms hesitate to support our military and allies, a new wave of companies is emerging. These companies attract talent that values purpose over bureaucracy—engineers and technologists inspired to solve challenging problems with high stakes. In the West, companies like Anduril, SpaceX, and Palantir have taken the helm as the "coalition of the competent," in stark contrast to the previous generation of primes that have overcharged and underdelivered. A similar dynamic is unfolding in Israel, where newer, nimble upstarts are edging out the three major defense primes for the brightest minds and most ambitious talents of the next generation.

It’s at this intersection of necessity and new defense innovation that Kela Technologies was founded in 2024 by Alon Dror and Hamutal Meridor, graduates of the Israeli Talpiot program and Unit 8200, respectively. As an elite commander in the Israeli army, Alon brings battlefield insights and leadership forged under pressure, while Hamutal’s experience running Palantir Israel’s business provides strategic vision and operational excellence. Their combined expertise reflects Israel’s unique innovation ecosystem, where survival has always fueled technological advancement–from the early days of radar and encrypted communications to the modern Iron Dome system. We’re proud to lead Kela’s Series A as they aspire to become Israel’s next great defense prime, harnessing cutting-edge innovation to ensure the security of a nation where peace is not a given, and extending that security to allies worldwide.

The timing of Kela’s founding is no coincidence. While October 7th forever reshaped Israel's security landscape, much of the world still lives on October 6th. As our world confronts increasingly complex threats with a rapidly changing battlefield, new responses outside of the traditional prime system are required. For the United States and its allies, Israeli defense innovation represents a critical technological edge, with development cycles compressed from years to days. This acceleration is precisely what modern conflicts demand. Kela is building a guarded open-source platform that brings the speed and innovation of commercial tech to defense systems, allowing military capabilities to benefit from the latest advances while still meeting strict security requirements. Their approach leverages Israel’s unique ‘technowarrior’ talent base–technical experts who combine military expertise with advanced engineering skills–to create systems that work seamlessly across the United States, Israeli and allied forces, ensuring these nations can quickly adapt to emerging threats.

Kela is building something essential–not just for Israel’s security today, but for how democracies worldwide will defend themselves tomorrow. We’re proud to support their mission because their approach isn’t just about building better defense tech, it’s about ensuring democratic nations maintain their technological advantage in an increasingly contested world.