Defense startup Kela has made its first-ever acquisition by buying Pelanor, an Israeli company.
Pelanor builds an AI platform that helps organizations track cloud spending in real time and cut costs using smart recommendations and automation. The deal is estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars.
Pelanor was started in late 2022 by Unit 8200 alumni – Matan Mates (CEO), Ido Kotler (CPO), and Yotam Tanay (CTO). The company has a team of about 15 employees.
Its AI system helps track where changes in cloud costs come from, automatically spots unusual spending, and improves how resources are used across customers, products, and projects.
Kela was founded in July 2024 and has raised about $100 million in less than a year. It started with an $11 million Seed round led by Sequoia, then raised $28 million in Series A led by Lux Capital with support from In-Q-Tel and other investors.
A few months later, the company brought in another $60 million from its existing investors. Today, Kela has a team of about 25 employees.
Kela’s founders include Hamutal Meridor, a Unit 8200 graduate. She previously led Palantir’s Israeli operations, a company known for developing combat management systems and gaining big attention after its Wall Street IPO. In recent years, she also worked as a partner at the Vintage investment fund.
Kela’s CEO is Alon Dror, a graduate of the elite Talpiot program. He spent around ten years working in the defense sector.
He first served as a tank commander and later held positions at the Directorate of Defence Research & Development, where he received the Israel Defense Prize.
Another co-founder is Jason Manne, an aeronautical engineer with 10 years of experience in weapons development. He worked in the Israeli Air Force and in the Intelligence Corps’ elite Technology Unit 81.
The other co-founder is Omer Bar-Ilan, an experienced engineer and serial entrepreneur. He earlier led the algorithms team at Rafael.
Kela is creating what it calls an “operating system for militaries.” It’s an open, flexible platform that works like civilian operating systems, allowing different technologies to connect and work together. This helps military systems become more adaptable and dynamic.
The platform can quickly and securely connect advanced tools like sensors, command-and-control systems, cyber technologies, and AI into existing military setups. By gathering data from cameras, drones, and radars, analyzing it in real time, and showing commanders one clear picture, Kela aims to bring fast civilian innovation into the slower defense world.
“Our strategy is to grow quickly, not just to meet demand, but to accelerate development and deliver capabilities at the pace that today’s reality requires,” said Hamutal Meridor, Kela’s president and co-founder. “The addition of the Pelanor team, among the brightest in Israel, is part of that effort: bringing in top talent who share our mission and vision to become the next great defense company for Israel and the West.”
Matan Mates, Pelanor’s CEO and co-founder, added: “We founded Pelanor out of a passion to solve hard and meaningful problems. When Kela approached us, it felt natural, we found a home where we could pursue our mission on a larger scale, alongside people who live and breathe a deep sense of purpose.”
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