Defense technology startup Kela Technologies has emerged from stealth and has announced that it has raised $39 million in two rounds. According to the announcement, the company, which was founded in July 2024 in response to the events of October 7, raised $11 million in a seed round led by Sequoia Capital. At the same time, it embarked on a $28 million A round led by Lux Capital. Among the investors in the company is In-Q-Tel, a US not-for-profit venture capital firm that invests in technologies seen as useful to US intelligence agencies.
The company was founded by Hamutal Meridor, until recently a partner in venture capital firm Vintage, and before that manager of Palantir’s activity in Israel; Alon Dror, who serves as CEO and who was an Israel Defense Prize winner during his service at MAFAT - the Ministry of Defense Directorate of Defense Research & Development; aeronautical engineer Jason Manne who served in the IDF’s technological intelligence unit 81; and Omer Bar-Ilan, formerly head of algorithm development at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Kela currently employs 25 people at its offices in Tel Aviv.
According to its announcement, Kela’s platform "enables the rapid integration of commercial technologies, such as advanced AI models, sensors, and edge devices, into existing military systems, providing immediate solutions to operational challenges on the battlefield."
The company is currently working with the Israeli defense establishment and is expected to implement its platform operationally, but no details of this were disclosed.
"The October 7 events underscored the need for fresh thinking and advanced solutions on the battlefield," Dror said. "As early as the summer of 2023, we recognized the opportunity to transform the Israeli model of ‘iteration under fire’ into a fundamental principle of Western defense."
The company says that it plans to expand its platform deployment to US security agencies and other Western militaries.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 17, 2025.
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