Commcrete Ltd., an Israeli company focused on “tactical communications” systems, said today it has raised $29 million in funding to transform almost any radio or vehicle-based system into a satellite-enabled device.

The money comes from two separate rounds, with the initial seed funding led by Professor Amnon Shashua, the founder of Mobileye, and the Series A led by Greenfield Partners with participation from Redseed Ventures.

The startup is targeting military customers and others who need more reliable, portable communications systems, with technology that eliminates the need for hefty vehicle-mounted satellite terminals. Instead, they can use handheld devices that are smaller and lighter than any other kind of satellite communication system, and attach them to their clothing.

Commcrete said its technology focuses on narrowband SATCOM, which allows it to create tiny antennas that can connect almost any radio or mobile device via satellite, with performance that’s ten-times as good as existing satellite-based comms systems. It enables reliable communications in almost any environment, including dense forests, deserts and urban areas.

While modern militaries have become increasingly computerized over the years, the evolution of battlefield and tactical communications systems has stalled. For years, soldiers in the field have been reliant on heavy, complex line-of-sight radios or bulky satellite systems that cannot operate effectively in bad weather conditions, or in dense, mountainous or forested terrain.

Commcrete founders Itzik Daniel Michaeli, Josh Yedidia and Michael Mor, who serve as its chief executive, chief technology officer and chief operations officer, respectively, say they have firsthand experience of the shortcomings of modern communications systems due to their service in the Israeli Defense Force. They say connectivity can make all the difference between success and failure when it comes to military operations. That’s why they aim to reinvent military comms entirely with the first handheld, omni-directional system that delivers continuous and secure voice and data links without needing massive antennas or clear skies.

Michaeli said Commcrete provides militaries with “truly tactical systems” designed entirely around their users – namely soldiers in the field – that do not compromise on quality or reliability.

“Our first real milestone came in 2023, when our systems enabled comms during a natural disaster that had wiped out all communications infrastructure,” Michaeli explained. “Since then, we’ve supported extensive missions worldwide – from North America to the Pacific – proving our breakthrough technology as the only SATCOM that works tactically, anywhere, under any condition.”

Commcrete’s systems come in the shape of three distinct products. The first is the revolutionary 150-gram handheld Flipper device, which can convert any radio, be it an off-the-shelf walkie-talkie or military-grade hardware, into a satellite-enabled device. There are multiple Flipper devices, including a body-worn model, a mobile model for vehicles, and versions for vessels, aircraft and headquarters.

The company’s second device is Stardust, which is multi-channel satellite communicator with a similar form-factor that’s powered by a proprietary chipset to enable not just voice, but also text, file transfer, location tracking and distress signalling simultaneously over the same satellite network, with handheld and mobile models. Those products are available now, and soon customers will be able to get their hands on Commcrete’s third product Bittel, which can be fitted into any vehicle to provide the same multiband satellite-based communications as Stardust enables, from anywhere it operates.

Commcrete said its devices could probably have saved the life of famed Medal of Honor recipient Michael P. Murphy, a Navy SEAL, whose death was depicted in the movie “Lone Survivor.” With his squad outnumbered and pinned down by a group of Taliban fighters, Murphy famously left cover in order to scale a cliff and get a direct line-of-sight with a satellite so he could relay a mayday call to headquarters. He got the message through, calling in air support to relieve his buddies, but he paid the price when he was hit by enemy fire, dying from his injuries.

The company said its systems are already being used by the militaries of 12 countries, and it hopes to make them available to many more. As such, the funds it has raised will help to drive its global expansion and deliver ultra-compact and reliable SATCOM to defense, security and emergency organizations in Europe, North America, East Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

Greenfield Partners’ Raz Mangel said he’s backing Commcrete because resilient communications are desperately needed in the defense industry and for public safety. “It has developed technology that works where others fail, proven in combat, disaster response and environments where conventional systems go dark,” he said.

Photos: Commcrete