High Lander, a Tel Aviv company that makes software for managing drones and low-altitude airspace, said on 19 October 2026 that it has reached $30m in total funding.
The company's announcement did not give the size of the new round or its name. According to Calcalist's technology site CTech, the latest raise was $16m and completes the company's Series A, which earlier brought in $14m. The valuation was not disclosed.
UAE defence group EDGE made an additional strategic investment, building on an existing relationship with the company. STEP, Protego and Kinetica also took part. No lead investor was named.
“Our vision is to become the software layer that connects autonomy, aviation, and security”Alon Abelson, Founder and CEO, High Lander
What High Lander does
High Lander was founded in 2018 by a group the company describes as aviation and technology experts, and is run by founder and chief executive Alon Abelson. It sells three software products for autonomous aviation.
Vega is an uncrewed traffic management system that coordinates drones flying in crowded airspace. Orion lets organisations manage drone fleets and autonomous missions remotely. Andromeda, its newest product, is an AI-based airspace security layer that combines data from different detection sensors into one operational picture and helps operators tell authorised aircraft from unidentified or unauthorised ones. The company said it can bring sensors and countermeasures from several vendors under a single control layer.
"High Lander is entering a new phase," Abelson said in the announcement. He said the company wants to give countries the ability to understand and control what is happening in low-altitude airspace.
Who invested
EDGE is a state-backed defence and technology group in the United Arab Emirates. Its new investment deepens a relationship that was already in place, the company said, although neither the release nor CTech gave the size of EDGE's stake.
Protego, STEP and Kinetica joined the round, and High Lander said the investors bring experience in autonomous systems, aerospace, defence technology, homeland security and international expansion. Lital Leshem, co-founder and managing partner at Protego, said growing drone use is creating a need for a unified aerial picture, threat detection and coordinated real-time response, and that High Lander's technology addresses those problems by bringing different systems under one command-and-control layer.
What the money is for
High Lander said it will use the money to expand in the United States and other international markets, to keep developing Vega, Orion and Andromeda, and to extend its technology into defence, homeland security and dual-use applications.
According to CTech, the company is setting up a large operational hub in the United States to serve as the base for its North American business, with control rooms and a testing and demonstration centre. The company did not say how many people it employs or name its customers.
From traffic control to security
High Lander began with tools for routing and supervising drones, and the funding marks a push into security work. The company describes Andromeda as hardware-agnostic, meaning it is designed to work with detection and response equipment from different makers.
Abelson said the completion of the round allows the company to speed up key strategic initiatives, and that its aim is to become the software layer that links autonomy, aviation and security. He told CTech that autonomous systems are becoming an integral part of the airspace.
Leshem said Protego believes in the combination of the company's technology, team and strategic partnerships. With the new money, High Lander's funding to date stands at $30m, according to the company.
Company website: highlander.io