Askari Defense
A defense technology startup developing low-cost, man-portable, 3D-printed kinetic interceptors designed to neutralize autonomous drone threats.
- CEO / Founder
- Robbie van Zyl
- Team Size
- 1-10
- Stage
- Early Stage
- Total Funding
- $10.7M
- Latest Round
- Seed
- Key Investors
- Builders VC (lead), Sovereign's Capital, Swell VC, Rule 1 Ventures, WaterStone Impact Fund, Overline VC, Knoll Ventures, Brickyard VC, Blackwing Ventures, GTF Ventures
Technology & Products
Key Products
Developer of a counter-drone platform designed to detect, track, and mitigate unauthorized aerial systems. Flagship products are the Rift Alpha (fully 3D-printed, hand-launched interceptor, ~2km range, 134mph) and Rift Bravo (foldable, man-packable interceptor, ~1km range), plus a classified next-gen system, combined with an autonomy stack ~80-90% auto-generated from real-world flight data.
Technological Advantage
Leverages Polymer Additive Manufacturing (AM) to achieve a unit cost significantly lower than traditional missile systems, while using decentralized intelligence to counter autonomous threats without a single point of failure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Provides a mass-producible, cost-effective, and decentralized counter-UAS solution that empowers individual operators to defend against robotic warfare and drone swarms.
How They Differentiate
Low-cost, 3D-printed modular airframes designed for rapid field-level manufacturing and man-portable deployment by individual operators. They provide a mass-producible, cost-effective, and decentralized counter-UAS solution that empowers individual operators to defend against robotic warfare and drone swarms, utilizing an autonomy stack built from extensive flight data.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
U.S. Department of Defense (Army, Navy), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and tactical military units.
Industry Verticals
Defense, Aerospace, Robotics, Additive Manufacturing
Competitors
Anduril (Anvil), MARSS (Interceptor-SR), SkyFall (P1-Sun)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Exited stealth mode in April 2026; secured $2M+ in procurement contracts primarily with US special operations units; raised a $9M seed round (Jun 2026, led by Builders VC, heavily oversubscribed) bringing total funding to ~$10.7M; partnerships with U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, SOCOM, DHS, and CBP.
Major Milestones
Founded in Atlanta, GA (2024), Alumnus of the Georgia Tech CREATE-X startup accelerator program, Secured initial Seed funding via SEC Form D filing (Sep 2024), Officially exited stealth mode with decentralized defense intelligence platform (Apr 2026), Raised $9M Seed round led by Builders VC, heavily oversubscribed, bringing total funding to ~$10.7M (Jun 2026)
Notable Customers
U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Funding rounds
- Seed$9M2026-06-26Lead: Builders VC · Source: unmannedairspace.info / dealroom.co / tectonicdefense.com
- Seed$220K2024-09Lead: Undisclosed · Source: SEC Form D