1. Brothers Aviv and Matteo Shapira founded Replay, a company acquired by Intel, which led them to discover drone racing and eventually start Xtend.
2. Xtend provides a platform for operators to manage drones and robots, focusing on making controlling robots intuitive and accessible.
3. Xtend has contracts with the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. Department of Defense, primarily focusing on military, defense, and law enforcement applications, despite facing scrutiny for receiving EU funding and involvement in controversial activities.
Brothers Aviv and Matteo Shapira founded Replay, a company that created a video format for 360-degree replays that are now commonly used in sports broadcasts. Intel acquired Replay in 2016 for $175 million, leading the brothers to meet Rubi Liani, the founder of Israel’s drone racing league. This meeting inspired the Shapira brothers to start Xtend, which provides a platform for controlling drones and robots developed in-house by Xtend and third-party vendors. The company recently secured a $40 million funding round led by Chartered Group.
Xtend’s platform empowers operators to control drones and robots, allowing for autonomous actions while still keeping important decisions in the hands of human supervisors. With contracts from the Israeli Defense Forces and the U.S. Department of Defense, Xtend is heavily focused on military, defense, and law enforcement applications. However, the company also plans to expand into private and public security sectors.
Xtend’s technology is described as general-purpose and offers capabilities for public safety, logistics, and more. The company plans to grow its workforce and expand internationally with a focus on utilizing drones and robots in various scenarios such as first response, search and rescue, and infrastructure inspection. Despite facing some controversy regarding regulations and involvement in military projects, Xtend is moving forward with its mission to enhance human-machine teaming and provide innovative solutions for complex scenarios.