A cluster of global companies gathered in Israel for DefenseTech Week, including a two-day summit that celebrated the growing impact of the sector and highlighted Israel’s rising role in the industry.
Surrounded by giant players such as Palantir, Lockheed Martin, and others, the event focused on Israel’s development of life-saving technologies and its preparations for global security challenges.
It is the second time Israel has hosted DefenseTech Week, demonstrating the sector’s longevity and securing Israel’s position as a leader in the field two years after the Oct. 7 attacks. The first day saw a collection of industry leaders, policymakers, and investors explore the trajectory of defense innovation, while the second day focused on emerging threats, global defense strategies and the tech shaping the changing security landscape.
The summit featured international speakers, networking opportunities, and startup demos. Key sponsors of the event included Texas Venture Partners, Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Palantir and Rafael. It was in partnership with the Israel Export Institute, the Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Tel Aviv Municipality.
DefenseTech in Israel saw explosive growth following the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks, born out of necessity and growing into a core pillar within the Start-Up Nation ecosystem. As an evolution from cybersecurity and traditional defense companies, Israel has been a natural petri dish for innovation due to the necessity to protect itself from the enemies that surround it.
“The defense-tech landscape has fundamentally shifted. Startups are now competing directly with major defense contractors and winning,” said Brig. Gen. (Res.) Daniel Gold, head of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D). “In line with the Ministry’s strategy, we are actively developing the next generation of technological surprises for future conflicts—across space, offensive, and defensive domains—and will operationalize them at the appropriate time.”
His remarks also confirmed that Israel’s new Iron Beam Laser defense system is now complete, with the first capability delivered to the IDF and scheduled to commence later this month.
Michael “Mike” Dodd, Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies and Acting Deputy Director of the Defense Innovation Unit, highlighted how the United States is working with close allies like Israel to “pursue peace through strength” through state-of-the-art innovation and collaboration.
“I’m confident that by focusing our efforts and fostering strategic collaboration with our allies, we can unlock the full potential of the critical technologies that make up our defense match. This is not just about developing new weapons. It’s about fundamentally transforming the way we defend our nations and protect our shared interests,” Dodd said.
Israel’s defense against information warfare
Of course, Israel’s defense is not restricted to deeptech and weapons defense systems. Sequoia Partner and outspoken Israel supporter Shaun Maguire appeared in a fireside chat with Avi Eyal, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Entrée Capital, discussing the information warfare against Israel from adversaries that adopt Cold War KGB strategies developed after Israel started aligning with the West.
“Qatar has been doing unbelievable things the last 20 years to wage a disinformation war against Israel,” he told the stage. “But it doesn’t mean that it has to be that way 10 years from now, the same way that Saudi Arabia has changed in a lot of ways … But I’ll also say China has played an absolutely massive role in the disinformation war against Israel.”
He added, “For me, that comes primarily from the fact that Israel is such a strong ally of America. China has broader ambitions … [The Chinese] really turned on [Israel] after Oct. 7.”
For Israel to combat the digital space as a form of defense, Maguire said the country needs to invest heavily in artificial intelligence. “Israel needs to be strong in AI,” he said. “The future of disinformation and information wars is obviously AI-driven. I think Israel needs to take the problem more seriously.”
DefenseTech has been growing in the years since the war with Hamas broke out, and he said now is the time for Israel to build the infrastructure it needs to tackle the online fight, too. Drawing on Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs,” Maguire stressed the defense equivalent: “Before you can go work on information warfare, you need to have good physical security, and you need to have fighter jets, and you need to have electronic warfare, and Iron Dome.”
Israel’s first defense tech unicorn
This year also saw the birth of “Israel’s first defense tech unicorn”, Heaven AeroTech. The company, which developed hydrogen-powered drones capable of long-range flight and high payload capacities, secured $100 million from quantum computing company IonQ, pushing its valuation over $1 billion.
Sharing the stage with Texas Venture Partners’ Managing Partner Lorne Abony, Founder and CEO Bentzion Levinson shared some insights in a fireside chat dedicated to how Israel can build more defense tech unicorns.
“Be a U.S.-centric company, but keep your heart and your core in Israel and be able to work with users on the ground, prove your technology on the ground, but make sure you design with this customer in mind,” said Levinson.
When considering that Israeli companies look towards the U.S. and the Department of War as customers, it is important to evaluate the need for drones and distance capabilities, he said. Whereas Israel’s fights are typically on its borders, America fights from thousands of miles away, resulting in a loss of drones, most recently with its fight against the Houthis, which cost the country seven of its drones.
“What we’re doing is the ability to go long distance and not be stopped,” Levinson said. “The other thing that is a big part of our success is thinking about scale from day one. So we here in Israel are the innovation spirit, the ability to not only be close to users, but very often be the user themselves. Many of us have served in battle, but we are the users, right? That’s unheard of in the U.S. and other places, but combining that with the needs of the U.S.”
The state of defense tech today
DefenseTech 2025 is a demonstration of how Israeli companies are thinking about their role in the sector, and how they can strategically position themselves with allies in the West. In 2025, the Israeli government authorised state-backed guarantees up to NIS 200 million ($60 million) to help launch new venture-capital funds dedicated to defense tech, and the DDR&D launched a new $60 million VC initiative aimed at boosting innovation in defense technology.
In the private sector, Israeli tech companies are expected to raise more than $12 billion in 2025, with nearly half going to cybersecurity and deeptech companies, marking a 13% increase from 2024.
DefenseTech Week also had a slew of young startups that demonstrated their technology for potential partners or investors. Ottopia works in the design and development of teleoperation systems and demonstrated its technology. InTACT, which aims to prevent friendly fire in combat and in training in Homeland security and military use cases, also showcased its technology.
With two days of speeches, presentations, insights and partnerships coming to an end, it is clear that DefenseTech 2025 is solidifying itself as one of the go-to events for budding startups and legacy agencies. While the current stage of the war in Israel may be winding down, the Start-Up Nation’s growing role in the global defense ecosystem is just beginning.
