Defense technology startup Skapion said on Wednesday it has raised $36 million in seed funding to accelerate development of what it describes as the world's first native counter-swarm defense system, designed to detect and defeat large-scale drone attacks.
The funding round was co-led by UP Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from existing investors Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, TBD VC and q Fund.
Skapion founders (from left): Ido Bar-On, Zafrir Yoeli, Pini Yungman, Yaron Karp and Gal Goren
(Photo: Nicholas Pfosi)
The company said the investment will be used to expand hiring, advance engineering and system validation, and deepen engagement with government and defense customers in Israel, the United States and allied countries.
Skapion was founded to address what it describes as a growing gap in modern air defense as inexpensive drones and one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles have become a defining feature of contemporary warfare. The company said traditional air-defense systems were not designed to counter large numbers of drones attacking simultaneously, forcing militaries to use costly interceptors against cheaper threats.
The company is developing a mobile, end-to-end system designed to detect, engage and neutralize drone swarms while operating independently in communications-limited and contested environments. It said the system is intended to protect maneuvering military forces, fixed installations and critical infrastructure.
"The question is no longer whether a single drone can be detected or hit," co-founder and CEO Ido Bar-On said in a statement. "The question is whether modern militaries can neutralize swarms at the speed, scale and cost required by today's battlefield."
Bar-On said the funding would allow the company to accelerate development, expand its engineering team and continue building its workforce.
Skapion's founding team includes Brig. Gen. (res.) Pini Yungman, a former general manager of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems' Air and Missile Defense Systems division, where he worked on programs including David's Sling and Iron Dome. Bar-On previously led defense and government business at XTEND and served as a reserve lieutenant colonel in the Israel Defense Forces' special operations. Chief Technology Officer Gal Goren has led multidisciplinary engineering teams, while co-founder Zafrir Yoeli previously co-founded Enlight Renewable Energy. Co-founder Yaron Karp is a defense technology entrepreneur.
The company said it has grown to several dozen employees within months of its launch, hiring engineers and specialists in aerospace, robotics, autonomy and defense technologies. It is continuing to recruit engineers as development progresses.
Skapion is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and operates a research and development center in Ramat Gan, Israel.