Percepto Co-Founders Depart After Over a Decade
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Two co-founders of Israeli tech firm Percepto, CEO Dor Abuhazira and Commercial Director Ariel Avitan, have departed after over a decade. The company, founded in 2014 to provide autonomous drone solutions for industrial inspection, has appointed Julien Blinzer as its new CEO. Percepto recently launched Axion, an AI platform for analyzing data from various sources, as it enters a new phase of expansion. The company secured $67 million in funding in June 2023.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Percepto co-founders Dor Abuhazira and Ariel Avitan have left the company after more than 10 years.
- Julien Blinzer has been appointed as the new CEO of Percepto.
- Percepto launched Axion, a new AI platform for physical infrastructure analysis.
- The company secured $67 million in funding in June 2023.
- Percepto specializes in autonomous drone systems for critical infrastructure inspection.
Two co-founders of the Israeli technology company Percepto are leaving the company after more than ten years. Dor Abuhazira, one of the company's founders and its CEO, announced his departure after 12 years. Concurrently, Ariel Avitan, another co-founder and the company's former Commercial Director, also left after 11 years. Avitan had announced his departure on LinkedIn two months prior, noting that Percepto, which he co-founded with Abuhazira and two others, had become a significant player in autonomous industrial operations, assisting organizations in monitoring critical infrastructure.
Abuhazira responded to Avitan's post, thanking him for their partnership. Abuhazira's own farewell message reflected on 12 years of activity, which he said began with building makeshift drones in his backyard. He described Percepto's founding as a partnership among engineers who recognized the potential of autonomous drones before the technology was a established commercial field.
Percepto announced the appointment of Julien Blinzer as the new CEO. According to the company, Blinzer brings extensive management experience from large corporations and expertise in selling technological solutions to major organizations. Percepto is entering a new phase of expansion, involving changes to its product offerings and sales strategies.
Founded in 2014, Percepto develops autonomous drone systems for inspecting industrial facilities and critical infrastructure, including energy, power, and oil and gas installations. These systems enable remote, autonomous inspections using artificial intelligence to analyze data and identify faults. The company serves major industrial clients globally. Percepto has expanded its offerings beyond drones to include software for analyzing visual data from various sources.
In June 2023, Percepto announced a $67 million funding round, comprising $50 million in equity and $17 million in debt financing, with Koch Disruptive Technologies leading the equity round. The company had previously raised $11.5 million in 2017, $15 million in 2019, and $45 million in 2020.
The departures coincide with a strategic shift, as Percepto launched Axion, a physical AI software platform designed to analyze data not only from its own drones but also from third-party drone fleets and sensors. Axion integrates AI models and industrial inspection data to help organizations identify infrastructure issues and prioritize maintenance.