A startup led by Israeli air-defense veterans raises $36 million to tackle the growing threat of drone swarms
Skapion says existing air-defense systems were not designed for the scale and economics of mass UAV attacks.
The rapid proliferation of inexpensive attack drones is reshaping the economics of modern warfare, prompting investors to back startups seeking alternatives to conventional air-defense systems. Skapion, a defense technology company developing systems to counter coordinated drone attacks, has raised a $36 million Seed round as militaries increasingly confront the challenge of defending against large numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles simultaneously.
The financing was co-led by UP Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, TBD VC and q Fund.
The company argues that recent conflicts have exposed a structural weakness in existing air-defense architectures. Since 2022, low-cost drones and one-way attack UAVs have evolved from niche tactical tools into a persistent threat to military forces, bases and critical infrastructure. While individual drones can often be intercepted, defending against large-scale attacks creates an economic imbalance, forcing militaries to use expensive interceptor missiles against much cheaper aerial threats.
Rather than focusing on individual drone interceptions, Skapion says it is building what it describes as a native counter-swarm system designed specifically for simultaneous engagements. The mobile platform is intended to detect, engage and neutralize drone swarms while operating in communications-limited and challenging environments alongside maneuvering military forces, fixed installations and critical infrastructure.
"The question is no longer whether a single drone can be detected or hit," said co-founder and CEO Ido Bar-On. "The question is whether modern militaries can neutralize swarms at the speed, scale and cost required by today's battlefield."
He said the new funding would allow the company to accelerate development, expand its engineering team and continue building technology aimed at what it sees as one of the most pressing defense challenges of the coming decade.
The startup's founding team reflects Israel's deep air-defense ecosystem. Founding architect and co-founder Brig. Gen. (Res.) Pini Yungman previously served as general manager of Rafael's 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. The founding team also includes CTO Gal Goren, renewable energy entrepreneur Zafrir Yoeli, who previously co-founded Enlight Renewable Energy, and defense entrepreneur Yaron Karp.
Although only recently established, the company says it has already grown to several dozen employees, recruiting engineers and specialists in aerospace, robotics, autonomy and defense technologies. The latest funding will support additional hiring, engineering development, system validation and engagement with governments and defense partners in Israel, the United States and other allied markets.
Skapion is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its research and development center in Ramat Gan, Israel.
