Skapion, an Israeli defense technology company creating a Native Counter Swarm system against next-generation unmanned aerial threats, announced Thursday that it raised $36 million in its Seed round.

The round was co-led by UP.Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from early investors Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, TBD VC and q Fund.

The news arrives as drones and one-way attack UAVs keep shaping battle outcomes. Tactics first improvised by the Islamic State in Syria and later refined in Ukraine have reappeared in the Middle East, where Hezbollah deploys low-cost fiber-optic drones against IDF troops and equipment.

Skapion is building a mobile, complete system that detects, engages and defeats drones and UAVs at swarm scale. The platform operates independently in communications-denied and harsh environments, supporting maneuvering forces, fixed sites and critical infrastructure.

Earlier interceptors handled costly, isolated aerial threats. Skapion instead targets mass, low-cost swarm attacks.

Co-founder and CEO Ido Bar-On noted that the real question is no longer whether one drone can be found or struck. The challenge is whether modern forces can neutralize swarms at the speed, scale and cost demanded by current battlefields.

The $36 million will accelerate development, expand the engineering group and assemble the team needed to address one of the decade's most pressing defense problems, he added.

The company points out that since 2022 low-cost UAS have shifted from specialized tools to a core air-defense concern for militaries, bases and infrastructure. Deployed in volume, they create an asymmetric load that compels defenders to expend costly interceptors against cheaper, more numerous threats, exposing gaps in systems not designed for simultaneous large-scale attacks.

Israeli firms have introduced new C-UAS platforms amid daily FPV and fiber-optic drone threats in Lebanon, yet many cannot manage swarms that bypass existing defenses when used in high numbers.

Ben Marcus, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at UP.Partners, said the Iron Dome altered the equation for rockets and missiles. Skapion aims to do the same for drone swarms, as the threat has moved from single expensive projectiles to cheap drones attacking together.

Skapion's founders are former Israel Air Force officers specializing in air defense. Founding Architect and co-founder Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Pini Yungman previously led Rafael's Air and Missile Defense Systems division and served as President and CEO of TSG Group. He contributed to the David's Sling and Iron Dome programs.

Bar-On earlier headed defense and government business at XTEND across international markets and is a former IDF special-operations Lieutenant Colonel (reserve).

The team also includes Gal Goren, Co-founder and CTO, a multidisciplinary engineering leader experienced in complex systems, Zafrir Yoeli, who co-founded Enlight Renewable Energy, and Yaron Karp, a veteran defense entrepreneur.

Founded in late 2025, Skapion employs several dozen staff with expertise in engineering, defense, aerospace, robotics, autonomy and deep tech.

The $36 million will support hiring, engineering work, system validation and engagement with government, defense and partners in Israel, the United States and allied markets.

Skapion is headquartered in Washington, DC, with its research and development center in Ramat Gan, Israel.