Protego backs Rilian in $17.5 million Seed round to bridge defense AI gap
Israeli defense fund expands U.S. portfolio as startups target government adoption bottlenecks in security technology.
Israeli defense-tech fund Protego has invested in U.S. startup Rilian as part of a $17.5 million Seed round. The round was led by 8VC, First In (an investor in defense startup Anduril), and Tamarack Global. Protego was founded by Lital Leshem and Lee Moser in 2024 and has raised $70 million to invest in defense startups. Leshem is also one of the founders of Carbyne, which was recently sold to Axon for $625 million.
One of Rilian’s founders is Nick Pompeo, the son of Mike Pompeo, former U.S. Secretary of State during President Donald Trump’s first term. The other two founders are Christian Schnedler and Dan Fischer. The startup’s product is intended to support Protego’s portfolio companies, as one of its goals is to make engagement with government agencies in the U.S. and Gulf countries more accessible for early-stage companies in the security sector.
Rilian’s platform is designed for use by Israeli cyber and defense companies seeking integration with U.S. and allied government agencies, including those in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It enables government bodies to rapidly adopt AI-based technologies in defense and security, without becoming bogged down in procurement, testing, deployment, regulation, and workforce constraints that can delay implementation by months or even years.
“For many national security organizations, the challenge of executing their mission is not a lack of budget or technology; it is the effective utilization of technical capabilities with limited skilled manpower,” said Christian Schnedler, CEO and Co-Founder of Rilian. “Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, Northern Virginia, and other innovation hubs regularly produce impactful capabilities. Unfortunately, these take years to scale within governments at home, yet alone deploying to global conflict zones where defenders need them most. Rilian was built to turn security into an execution success, not a procurement and human staffing problem.”
Lital Leshem, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Protego Ventures: “Israel’s comparative advantage in cybersecurity and defense innovation is now meeting growing demand from the United States and Gulf countries. However, a key gap remains in the ability to bridge development and operational deployment within sovereign and complex environments. Rilian operates precisely at this intersection, building the infrastructure that enables advanced capabilities to move across markets and become effective at a national scale.”
