Josh Weiner
As global capital increasingly looks toward defense technology as one of the most resilient and high-growth sectors of the decade, a new name is entering the conversation: the Givati Drone Center. Built inside one of Israel’s most respected military heritage institutions and led by a pairing of institutional experience and hands-on innovation, the Center is positioning itself as a rare opportunity for investors seeking exposure to Israel’s defense technology pipeline at its earliest, most formative stage.
“What we’ve built here is not just a training facility, it’s an engine for defense innovation,” said Itzhak Levit, Chairman of the Givati Brigade Association. “Israel has always produced world-class defense technology, and increasingly, that technology comes from the ground up, from soldiers solving real problems in real time. That is exactly the kind of innovation capital is looking for right now.”
Levit’s decades of leadership within the Givati Brigade Association give the initiative something rare in early-stage defense ventures: institutional stability. Rather than launching as an unproven startup, the Center operates under the backing of an established organization with a decades-long track record, a structure that reduces risk for investors while preserving the agility of a fast-moving innovation hub.
The Innovation Engine Behind the Opportunity
At the center of the Center’s technical direction is Jessica Zandani, a Major Director of the Academy, whose approach to drone training and hardware development has become the operational core of what makes the initiative investable. Zandani’s model integrates live battlefield data, rapid maintenance systems, and on-demand 3D-printed hardware enhancement, a pipeline that produces continuous, field-tested innovation rather than isolated research projects.
“Every problem our soldiers face in the field becomes a design challenge our teams solve within days, not years,” Zandani said. “That speed is what makes this different from traditional defense R&D. We are not waiting on long procurement cycles. We are building, testing, and improving constantly, and that is a model that scales.”
Zandani noted that this rapid-iteration approach, developing hardware and training solutions directly from operational needs, is precisely the kind of asset that investors in defense technology have been seeking as global demand for unmanned systems accelerates. “Capital wants speed and proof, not just promises,” she said. “We can show both.”
A Structure Built for Capital, Not Just Combat
Together, Levit and Zandani offer investors a combination not often found in early-stage defense technology: Levit’s institutional credibility and long-term strategic oversight, paired with Zandani’s direct pipeline to field-tested innovation. For hedge funds and defense-focused investment groups evaluating where to place capital in Israel’s technology sector, the Center presents a rare entry point, backed by a legacy institution, but operating with the speed of a startup.
“We are not asking investors to bet on an idea,” Levit said. “We are asking them to back a system that is already producing results, with a leadership team that understands both the battlefield and what it takes to bring real innovation to scale.”
Zandani added that the goal is to build partnerships, not just funding relationships. “We want investors who understand what we are building here and want to be part of shaping where it goes next. This is bigger than a single product or program. It is a pipeline for the future of Israeli defense technology.”
A Legacy Foundation Now Open to New Partners
The Givati Drone Center operates under the Givati Brigade Association, founded in 1985 by Givati veterans of Israel’s 1948 War of Independence under Major General Itzhak Pundak z”l. What began as a mission to honor fallen soldiers and preserve Givati’s legacy has, under Levit’s leadership and Zandani’s innovation, evolved into a platform now drawing attention from a very different audience: the investors who will help determine what Israel’s next generation of defense technology looks like.
