What Kela Technologies does

Kela Technologies is an Israeli defense-tech company founded in July 2024 by four veterans of elite Israeli intelligence units, including the former General Manager of Palantir Israel, and headquartered in Tel Aviv. The company has grown rapidly to approximately 150 employees within less than two years and is backed by top-tier U.S. investors including Sequoia Capital, Lux Capital, In-Q-Tel, Stripes, D1, Bill Ackman, and Eric Schmidt. Kela's core product is a software-defined Unified Situational Operations Platform that enables rapid integration of commercial and military systems for border security, perimeter defense, and armored vehicle missions.

The platform integrates multiple sensor modalities including LiDAR, radar, electro-optical, thermal, and RF systems, with notable integrations of InnovizTwo LiDAR (framework agreement for up to several hundred units, scalable to thousands) and Starling's Pathfinder X autonomous eVTOL drone system under an exclusive partnership. Kela acquired cloud management platform Pelanor in September 2025 for an estimated $20-30 million as its first M&A transaction. The platform supports high-resolution 3D perception for target discrimination and operational awareness in degraded environments, and was named one of five winners of the Pentagon DIU Drone Dominance Program Lethality Challenge in May 2026, earning preferred munitions status within the $1.1B program.

Kela generates revenue through direct sales of integrated defense systems and recurring contracts with government defense customers, principally the IDF, Israeli Ministry of Defense, and U.S. Department of Defense programs (including DIU). The company recorded approximately $20 million in 2025 revenue with over $50 million in contracts signed during the year, and completed a $200 million financing round at a $1.2 billion valuation in May 2026. Deployment has expanded from a single Israeli military outpost to dozens along the country's borders, with publicly stated intent to expand to Western militaries beyond Israel.

Name

Kela Technologies

Legal name

Kela Technologies Ltd.

Website

https://kelasys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kela Technologies is an Israeli defense-tech company building a software-defined situational operations platform that integrates commercial and military sensors and systems for border security, perimeter defense, and armored vehicle protection, serving government defense customers including the IDF and U.S. Department of Defense.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Military Situational Awareness Software

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) & Autonomous Aerial Platforms (IMABAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

VTOL & Hybrid UAV Platforms (IMABAIAC), UAS Launch/Recovery & Support Equipment (Catapults, Nets, Docking) (IMABAIAN), Defense Software, Mission Applications & Open Architecture (MOSA) Systems (IMABAOAM)

Keywords

• Defense technology platform
• Multi-sensor fusion software
• Autonomous drone integration
• Border security systems
• Military situational awareness

Headquarters

HQ city

Tel Aviv

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Defense Systems and Platform Sales: Revenue generated from selling integrated command and control systems, situational operations platforms, and defense technology solutions to government defense customers including IDF, Israeli Ministry of Defense, and U.S. Department of Defense programs.
2. Defense Contracts and Solutions: Contracts for developing and deploying border protection systems, autonomous drone integration, and multi-sensor defense solutions for military and homeland security applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kela Technologies builds a secure, open, software-defined unified situational operations platform that enables rapid and seamless integration of commercial and military systems — including LiDAR, radar, electro-optical, thermal, and RF sensors alongside autonomous drones and armored vehicle subsystems — for border protection, perimeter defense, and modern battlefield situational awareness. The platform is battle-tested by Israeli defense forces and positioned for Western military adoption.

Product overview

Kela Technologies offers a single unified software-defined situational operations platform that integrates multiple sensor and system types — including LiDAR, radar, electro-optical, thermal, and RF systems — into a comprehensive defense solution. The platform is designed for border protection, perimeter defense, and armored vehicle applications, with recent integration of InnovizTwo LiDAR sensors and Starling's Pathfinder X autonomous drone system extending its capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unified Situational Operations Platform A secure, open software-defined platform enabling rapid and seamless integration of commercial and military systems — including LiDAR, radar, electro-optical, thermal, and RF sensors — for border protection, perimeter defense, armored vehicle protection, and modern battlefield situational awareness. Designed and battle-tested by Israeli innovators for IDF, Israeli Ministry of Defense, and Western allied military customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces manpower from 3-8 operators to zero active operators per drone system
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Innoviz TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 13 May 2026Framework agreement for Kela to procure up to several hundred InnovizTwo LiDAR sensors, with potential scaling to thousands of units. Sensors integrated into Kela's software-defined situational operations platform for defense applications including armored vehicles, border security, and perimeter-defense missions. LiDAR operates alongside radar, electro-optical, thermal and RF systems providing high-resolution 3D perception.
• PelanorcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026First acquisition of cloud management platform company Pelanor for an estimated $20-30 million, expanding Kela's cloud infrastructure capabilities for defense applications.
• Starling Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2026Exclusive commercial and operational partnership to integrate and deploy Starling's Pathfinder X autonomous eVTOL drone system for IDF and Israeli Ministry of Defense. The Pathfinder X is a fixed-wing vertical takeoff and landing drone operating autonomously from compact docking stations, requiring no active operator and dramatically reducing manpower compared to traditional tactical UAV systems (typically 3-8 operators).

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anduril Industries: Anduril is a U.S. software-defined defense prime building autonomous systems and Lattice, an integrated situational awareness platform. Directly comparable to Kela in business model (open-platform integrator of commercial and military hardware), customer base (Western militaries), and capital profile (Sequoia-backed, $1B+ rounds). Kela is explicitly described as the 'Anduril of Israel.'
• Shield AI: Shield AI builds AI-pilot autonomy for aircraft and drones (Hivemind) and recently acquired Martin UAV and Heron Systems to deliver integrated autonomous defense systems. Same investor archetype (top-tier U.S. VC plus defense-focused backers), same product philosophy (autonomy-first software platform), and direct overlap with Kela's autonomous UAS integration work.
• Skydio: Skydio produces autonomous small drones used heavily by U.S. and allied militaries for reconnaissance and short-range tactical missions. Comparable to Kela in autonomy-first positioning, defense-customer focus, and emphasis on reducing operator burden — though Kela's platform integrates third-party hardware rather than building its own airframes.

Broad incumbents

• Elbit Systems: Elbit is Israel's largest listed defense prime, supplying UAVs, electro-optics, command-and-control, and border-security systems globally. Kela competes directly with Elbit for IDF and Israeli MOD contracts while positioning its software-defined, open-platform approach as the more modern alternative.
• Palantir Technologies: Palantir's Gotham and MetaConstellation platforms provide defense-grade situational awareness and data integration for Western militaries, and Kela's former-GM-of-Palantir-Israel founder explicitly references Palantir as a model. Comparable in mission (military data integration and decision support) though Palantir is a much larger, public, software-pure-play.
• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems: Rafael is a major Israeli state-owned defense prime known for Iron Dome, Spike missiles, and Trophy active protection. It is both a competitor (for IDF modernization dollars) and a potential collaborator in Kela's border-security and armored-vehicle mission sets.
• Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI): IAI is a state-owned Israeli aerospace and defense prime producing UAVs (Heron, Harop), satellites, and integrated air-defense systems. It competes with Kela for Israeli defense contracts and represents a potential acquisition or partnership candidate as Kela scales.
• AeroVironment: AeroVironment is a publicly traded U.S. defense prime specializing in small tactical UAS (Switchblade loitering munitions, Puma, Raven). Directly relevant as a competitor in the DIU Drone Dominance program's lethal-payload category and a benchmark for Kela's drone-cost-reduction claims.

Emerging players

• Rebellion Defense: Rebellion Defense builds software platforms (Rebellion Iris, Nova) for defense and national-security customers, founded by former Palantir exec Chris Lynch. Comparable as a software-first defense-tech peer at similar stage and with overlapping talent pool, though more focused on U.S. DoD enterprise software than integrated sensor platforms.
• Starling Inc. Starling is the U.S. aerospace startup behind the Pathfinder X autonomous eVTOL drone system and Kela's exclusive commercial partner for IDF deployments. Adjacent rather than competing — Starling supplies the autonomous airframe, Kela supplies the situational operations platform — but their destinies are tightly coupled via the partnership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kela_tech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kela-technologies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kela Technologies