Askari raises $9M seed to scale hand-launched drone interceptors
What's the deal? Atlanta-based defence startup Askari has raised $9M in seed funding to scale production of its hand-launched drone interceptors.
Builders VCDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with Sovereign's CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Swell VCDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Rule 1 VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, WaterStone Impact FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and several defence founders participating. The raise brings Askari's total funding to roughly $11M.
Unlike rivals building vehicle-based or fixed-site counter-drone systems, Askari puts interceptors directly into the hands of frontline operators.
Its two autonomous, computer-vision-guided interceptors hit drones directly. The Rift Alpha has a 2km range and tops 134mph; a soldier can carry one or two in a standard rucksack. The smaller Rift Bravo, still in development, packs a dozen to a rucksack.
Why now? Askari emerged from stealth in April 2026 and has already booked over $2M in procurement contracts, mostly with US special operations units.
The round was, in chief executive officer Robbie Van Zyl's words, "mega, mega oversubscribed." Askari turned away an extra $4M to $6M in capital.
The 25-year-old founders, Van Zyl and Ben AirdoDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, met at Georgia Tech and worked at Anduril, Skydio, Raytheon, and Hermeus before teaming up. They spotted a gap in the counter-drone market: "the dismounted operator, this forgotten-about area where everybody's building for base defence and vehicle-borne solutions," Van Zyl said.
What could go wrong? The Rift Bravo remains in development, funded by non-dilutive R&D contracts, so Askari's full product line is not yet proven at scale.
Early field results look strong. Van Zyl says recent tests with a tier-one customer in the California desert hit "damn near 90 percent intercept rates." But scaling production to meet a growing order book is a different challenge.
The signal: Counter-drone is one of defence tech's hottest battlegrounds, with startups racing to field microwaves, robotic guns, and jammers.
Askari's bet is that the soldier on the front line — not the base or the vehicle — is the underserved customer. Van Zyl argues that building for the smallest unit makes scaling up to vehicle and base defence far easier than working the other way round.
Read more: Tectonic Defense
Image credit: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
