Israeli defense startup Kela raises $200 million at $1 billion…

Team S · 2026-05-07T13:58:39.000Z

Kela, an Israeli defense technology startup, is raising $200 million at a pre-money valuation of $1 billion — a milestone that would make it a unicorn less than two years after its founding. The round is led by Stripe and D1 Capital Partners, with participation from Bill Ackman and Eric Schmidt. Existing backers Sequoia Capital and Lux Capital are also participating. Kela is building an operating system for modern militaries, designed to connect and manage the multiple components required to conduct military operations. The platform aggregates data from multiple sources, processes it in real time, and presents it through a unified command interface. Built on an open, modular architecture, it allows armies to incorporate new commercial technologies into existing military systems without major overhauls — helping defense organizations deploy new capabilities faster and adapt to evolving battlefield conditions. Kela was founded in the summer of 2024, in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, by Hamutal Meridor, Alon Dror, Jason Manne, and Omer Bar-Ilan. Meridor, a Unit 8200 graduate who previously ran Palantir's Israeli operations, serves as a co-founder. CEO Alon Dror is a Talpiot program graduate who spent a decade in the defense sector and received the Israel Defense Prize. Jason Manne is an aeronautical engineer with experience in weapons development in the Israeli Air Force and Unit 81. Bar-Ilan is a serial entrepreneur who previously led the algorithms team at Rafael. Since founding, Kela has raised capital in rapid succession: an initial $11 million from Sequoia Capital, followed by $28 million from Lux Capital (its first investment in an Israeli company), and then $60 million from the same investors alongside the CIA's investment arm. The current $200 million round would bring total funding to approximately $299 million. People familiar with the company say contract volume already reached $50 million in 2025. The current round is led by Stripe and D1 Capital Partners, with Bill Ackman and Eric Schmidt among the notable new participants. Sequoia Capital, Lux Capital, and the CIA's venture arm are existing backers also joining the round.

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Israeli defense startup Kela raises $200 million at $1 billion… | Newnex