The Israeli Ministry of Defense’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D) recently hosted a Demo Day to highlight the latest innovations from startups in its Innofense accelerator programme. This event celebrated the achievements of these startups, offering a platform to present their cutting-edge products to potential investors and engage in valuable networking. It also underscored the startups’ crucial role during the recent conflict, where their projects significantly supported R&D efforts. The event aimed to foster strategic partnerships between the private and security sectors, attracting investors and venture capital funds to ensure the successful integration of innovative technologies.
Now in its fourth round, Innofense continues to bridge the gap between Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the entrepreneurial community. The programme connects MOD’s challenges with innovative solutions, encouraging small and agile companies to develop defence technologies. It provides startups with techno-operational support from DDR&D and professional guidance from iHLS and SOSA, assisting them in business development, market penetration, networking, and investments. Selected startups participate in a four to six-month pilot programme, with successful pilots advancing to system integration while retaining their intellectual property. During the recent conflict, Innofense alumni achieved remarkable success, with over 30% securing follow-up R&D orders from DDR&D totalling more than USD 5 million and attracting investments exceeding half a billion USD. These results highlight the programme’s effectiveness in nurturing cutting-edge defence technologies and addressing Israel’s most pressing challenges.
At the event, startups captivated attendees, including investors, VCs, industries, and representatives from the private sector, with their innovative technologies. Notable presentations included Nextdim’s advanced analysis platform for detecting financial crimes and identifying networks of influence on social media, Frenel Imaging’s polarimetric image processing for enhanced detection, VieRally’s predictive viral marketing platform boasting 92.1% accuracy, Spinedge’s Spintronic-based AI chiplet offering tenfold improvements in speed and energy efficiency, MindsView’s ARNet glasses enabling real-time visual sharing, Davinci Neuroscience’s platform for peak brain performance, and Wonder Robotics’ autonomous drone landing solution, “WonderLand.” These showcases demonstrated the potential of the Innofense programme to revolutionise defence technology and highlighted the critical need for collaboration between startups and the defence sector, reinforced by the vital role of venture capital and private investment in driving these innovations forward.
“The challenges of our time, highlighted by the difficulties of the war, illustrate the importance of this event. The Ministry of Defense’s investment in startups speeds up processes and reduces bureaucracy, encouraging innovation, creativity, and initiative. This leads to the development of advanced technologies in various fields, contributing to the future of high-tech and the Israeli economy,” said Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir.
Head of DDR&D at the IMOD, Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Daniel Gold, stated, “The synergy between startups, investors, and the private sector is crucial in driving defence-tech innovation. Our experience during The Swords of Iron War has shown that this collaboration is not just beneficial, but essential for rapid technological advancement in the face of evolving threats.”
Col. Nir Weingold, Head of the Planning, Economics & IT Department, added, “Israel faces unique challenges as a small country in a turbulent world where defence budgets are increasing. These budgets now reach startups to secure advanced technologies for national security. Defence-Tech is a growth engine for this new era. Our vision is to achieve a 100X impact together, cementing Israel as a global Defence-Tech Leader. With startups, we’re fostering cutting-edge technology that enhances our military capabilities and economic growth, keeping Israel at the forefront of defence and civilian innovation.”
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