Michigan-Israel Business Accelerator in Detroit Hosts Defense Tech Startups
Written by R.J. King, published by DBusiness
The Michigan-Israel Business Accelerator, a nonprofit economic development organization in Detroit focused on driving Michigan’s growth by connecting Israeli innovation with the state’s industries, hosted a group of 13 entities from Israel, including 11 defense technology startups, to provide them with a first-hand look at the state’s defense sector.
According to the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Michigan’s $30 billion defense industry employs more than 166,000 workers at nearly 4,000 businesses statewide.
The delegation was hosted April 7-10 in partnership with the MEDC’s Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation and SIBAT, the International Defense Cooperation Directorate of the Israel Ministry of Defense.
The visit included time at the first Michigan Israel Pavilion at MDEX, the annual Michigan Defense Expo event in Warren hosted by the Michigan Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association. At the expo, members of the MIBA’s Israeli defense tech delegation were able to interact, in one place, with the leading companies across Michigan serving the defense sector.
While in Michigan, Israel-based Maris-Tech, a video and AI-based edge computing technology company, announced it has successfully completed a pilot assembly of one of its core products at a manufacturing facility in Otsego, and will continue to expand manufacturing at that site.
The product passed the company’s quality assurance tests, marking a significant step toward penetrating the U.S. defense market.
The achievement follows several strategic initiatives, including establishing a North American subsidiary, appointing U.S.-based marketing managers, and participating in major American defense industry exhibitions.
The company’s product portfolio includes AI-powered video processing systems for drones, tactical alert systems for armored vehicles, and edge devices for special forces, all designed to enhance situational awareness and support real-time decision-making.
“The MIBA introduced us to Michigan in 2024, and we quickly became interested in establishing a presence there,” says Israel Bar, founder and CEO of Maris-Tech. “Michigan will be a manufacturing hub that will positively impact our global growth.”
During MDEX, the MIBA also hosted the delegation and Michigan-based MIBA members for a reception and fireside chat featuring Michigan U.S. Army National Guard Major General Paul Rogers and Amira Ilany, director of North America and Europe Division in SIBAT.
“In Israel, there are lots of opportunities in defense for the State of Michigan. It’s a very attractive market and lucrative if you establish the right relationships,” Rogers told the audiences.
To Israeli companies his advice was, “Get to know the customer here because partnerships are essential.” His parting words were: “Let’s recognize our common ground while acknowledging our individual uniqueness.”
In turn, Startup Nation Central’s Director of Global Partnership Ilana Sherrington-Hoffman provided an overview of the driving forces behind Israel’s innovation ecosystem and leadership in the defense tech sector.
The Israeli Defense Tech Delegation to Michigan included:
- AccuBeat, a designer and manufacturer of exceedingly accurate Frequency and Timing solutions and products suitable for aerospace, defense, space, HLS, telecommunications, and more
- Aeromaoaz, experts in design and production of Mission Critical Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) for mission critical avionics, land, and naval based platforms
- Beth-El Industries, a leader in the field of combined collective protection CBRN filtration system and HVAC for military platforms and civil protection shelters
- CopterPIX, provides a complete tailor made UAV-based solution, providing customers with a comprehensive, end-to-end, 360-degree turnkey solution
- Israel Aerospace Industries, a leader in defense, aerospace, and commercial markets, leveraging state-of-the-art technology and decades of combat-proven experience delivering solutions to national defense and security challenges
- Magam Safety, offer protective, rescue and survivability equipment, including flexible, self-sealing fuel bladders
- Ottopia, enables defense vehicles to go unmanned with a highly reliable, low-latency remote driving (teleoperations) platform
- R2 Wireless, detects and geolocates any RF device, in any protocol, at any frequency, at air, land, and sea
- Redler Technologies, addresses the unique challenges faced by ground forces, naval platforms, and aerospace operations
- SDK Embedded Systems, designs and manufactures innovative solutions for military applications.
MIBA reports its facilitations helped generate $21 million in economic activity between Michigan and Israel from 2021 to 2024.
