The fund has helped its portfolio companies secure projects and contracts with defense organizations. In addition, the companies completed follow-on funding rounds within a short period of time at significantly higher valuations.
Stratos Ventures was established during 2026 and has already completed five investments in pre-seed and seed-stage companies. Four of them have already completed follow-on funding rounds at significantly higher valuations led by leading Silicon Valley venture capital firms. The portfolio includes companies operating in the DefenseTech and resilience sectors, most of which naturally operate with limited public exposure due to technological sensitivity and work with defense organizations. Stratos operates according to an investment strategy it developed called Resilience Capitalism, focused on DefenseTech, resilience, Homeland Security, critical infrastructure protection, data center solutions, supply chains, and cybersecurity for governments.
The fund’s founders and partners are Rotem Yehuda Kakon, Aviad Grinfeld, and Daniel Fouzailov, who operate from Tel Aviv and Florida, USA. The three partners bring many years of experience in building venture funds and technology incubators, alongside extensive investment activity, building companies from inception through exit, and developing business activity across dozens of countries.
Rotem Yehuda Kakon led the tech investment activities of one of the leading family offices in the United Kingdom. He invested in dozens of Israeli and American venture capital funds, as well as leading technology companies. Over the past decade, he developed and led investment strategies in DefenseTech, DeepTech, and dual-use technologies, while building an extensive international network across the defense and technology sectors. Kakon was among the first investors in companies including Carbyne, Infinidome, and RepAir, and was involved in several significant exits. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff to two Israeli government ministers and served in a special forces unit of the Israeli Defense Forces.
Aviad Grinfeld has been active in the defense and Homeland Security sectors for more than 15 years. He previously led the growth of one of Israel’s largest defense groups, scaling revenue from approximately $10 million to several hundred million dollars while building international operations in more than 80 countries. Over the years, he has been involved in several notable investments and exits in the defense sector, including IRD, Skylock, MyDefence, and BeeSense.
Daniel Fouzailov has completed dozens of DeepTech investments in Israel through a family office venture arm. He was previously involved in transactions that reached public listings on both the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. Fouzailov is active within Israel’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and maintains strong connections with communities of young tech entrepreneurs, including graduates of elite intelligence and technology units.
Stratos strategic partners include Lieutenant General (Ret.) Michael Barbero, a four-star U.S. Army General, alongside a former CIA Director, senior executives from SAAB USA, and Theo Williams, former Head of Strategic Investments at Salesforce. The team supports the fund in strategy development, expansion of its international network, and accelerating the fund’s growth.
Even during its early stages of operation, Stratos succeeded in helping portfolio companies generate projects, commercial agreements, pilots, and meaningful work programs at very early stages of their development. The fund supports founders by building a Go-To-Market platform for the U.S. market.
The fund maintains operations in the United States in collaboration with The LAB Miami, providing Israeli companies with access to leading organizations including DOW, CENTCOM, Port of Miami, and additional end customers in the U.S. defense market. The platform provides founders with global access to governments, decision-makers, and strategic investors worldwide, serving as a strategic bridge between Israeli innovation and the U.S. defense market, alongside the partners’ operational experience and deep industry expertise.
Stratos has raised more than $50 million in seven months and will close the fund at $80 million. The fund intends to invest in 15–20 early-stage pre-seed and seed companies founded by Israeli entrepreneurs, or companies with a significant connection to Israel or Israeli-related IP. Initial investments typically range between $2 million and $4 million. In addition to pre-seed and seed investments, the fund has already led two significant follow-on rounds in portfolio companies together with the fund’s leading LP investors. The fund’s anchor investor is a leading institutional player from the United Kingdom. Investors in the fund include family offices from the United States, Europe, India, South America, Australia, and Israel, alongside Israeli and American entrepreneurs who have completed significant exits, as well as Fund of Funds investors.
