Investment & Liquidity Overview
XTEND, founded in 2018 by Aviv Shapira (CEO), Matteo Shapira (CXO), Rubi Liani (CTO), and Adir Tobi (CQO), develops autonomous drone systems and AI-powered operating platforms.
The company plans to go public via merger with JFB Construction Holdings in a transaction that includes a $152 million strategic investment. The combined entity is expected to trade under the ticker XTND at an estimated valuation of approximately $1.5 billion, with closing anticipated in mid-2026.
TAU Ventures was XTEND’s first investor, initially investing several hundred thousand dollars and later increasing its total investment to approximately $2 million. Some TAU Ventures fund investors also participated directly in subsequent financing rounds.
Strategic Relevance for GAP and University Venture Leaders
This outcome reinforces several commercialization principles relevant to university-affiliated venture funds:
• Early institutional conviction capital can anchor high-growth startups
• Modest initial checks can compound significantly through follow-on participation
• University venture arms can generate liquidity events comparable to traditional VC funds
• Sector alignment, in this case autonomous systems and defense-tech applications, can accelerate scaling
For GAP leaders, this case underscores the importance of pairing early capital with disciplined portfolio management and follow-on participation strategy.
Full story: https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-888091
Related Topics:
university venture funds, liquidity events, autonomous systems commercialization, defense-tech innovation, AI platform scaling, university seed investment strategy
