Autonomous
Autonomous explores the technologies reshaping the physical world - drones, robotics, and AI-driven machines. Through conversations with founders, engineers, and investors, the podcast examines the breakthroughs, operational lessons, and market opportunities defining the future of autonomous systems. Hosted by Shay Senior, an Israeli entrepreneur and technology scout in unmanned systems.
Episodes
Why Big Organizations Struggle to Innovate | Naor Caspi (Fresh Fund)
In this episode, I sit down with Naor Caspi from Fresh Fund to talk about a career spent moving between government, large corporations, startups, and venture capital — and what each side gets wrong about innovation.We discuss what it actually takes to build an innovation team inside a large organization, and how you get companies that have become slower over time to work with startups and new tech
Where Capital Is Moving in Defense & Physical AI | 100 Conversations Later
Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to meet more than 100 founders, investors, operators, researchers and government organizations working on the next generation of defense, robotics and Physical AI.This episode is different.Instead of interviewing another guest, I step back to reflect on the patterns that kept appearing across those conversations.We discuss:• Where capital is moving
Episode 21 | From Toy to Threat: Audelia Boker on Counter-Drone Defense & World Cup Security
In this episode of Autonomous, I sat down with Audelia Boker from Sentrycs, an Ondas Holding company to discuss a journey that spans continents, cultures, and one of the fastest-growing security challenges in the world.After making Aliyah to Israel, Audelia had to adapt to a completely new culture, language, and business environment, eventually finding herself in one of the most dynamic industries
Episode 20 | After the Missile Strike - Israel Vaserlauf on Resilience & Rebuilding
What happens when a founder spends 20 years building a company and, in a single night, an Iranian missile destroys the facility he built with his own hands?In this episode of Autonomous, I sat down with Israel Vaserlauf, Founder and CEO of Aerosol and the force behind the AeroSentinel drone platform. We discuss his journey from building model aircraft as a teenager to creating one of Israel's lead
Episode 19 | The Future of Air Mobility in California with Josh Metz
In this episode, I sit down with Josh Metz, Executive Director and co-founder of the Monterey Bay DART Initiative, one of the organizations helping shape the future of advanced air mobility, autonomous systems, and regional innovation in the United States.Josh has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of economic development, public policy, infrastructure, and emerging technologi
Episode 18 | How VCs Evaluate Deep Tech Startups — Gili Elkin (ICI)
What does it actually take to raise a VC fund from scratch with no network, no track record and everyone telling you it won’t work?In this episode of the Autonomous Podcast, I sat down with Gili Elkin, Managing Partner of ICI Fund, to discuss the mindset behind building both companies and venture funds in deep tech.From growing up between Israel and the U.S., to raising her first fund in Colorado
Episode 17 | Apple, SpaceX & Swarm Robotics — Moshe Baum (Wild West Systems)
In this episode, I sit down with Moshe Baum, Mechanical engineer, drone pilot, and co-founder of Wild West Systems.Moshe’s path moves through very different environments: from working on the NAMER platform during his service in the IDF, to engineering roles in companies like Apple and SpaceX, and now building his own systems in Texas.What made this conversation interesting is not just the experien
Episode 16 | From Gaming to Battlefield Robotics — Rubi Liani (XTEND)
In Episode 16, we sit down with Rubi Liani, co-founder of XTEND, and go deeper into the path that led him there.It starts far from what you might expect - flying RC planes as a kid, building intuition through curiosity, not a defined plan. From there, moving into the Navy and stepping into an environment shaped by responsibility, structure, and real decision-making under pressure.What followed was
Episode 15 | Drone-in-a-Box at Scale - Ariel Avitan (Percepto)
In this episode, I sit down with Ariel Avitan, co-founder of Percepto; one of the companies quietly leading the adoption of autonomous drone systems across infrastructure in the United States.Percepto didn’t just build a drone.They built the full system - The box, the drone, the firmware, and the application, all designed to operate in real environments, weather, congested airspace and beyond line
Episode 14 | Why Defense Startups Need Field Validation Early - Yahel Efroni (Givon Defense)
In this episode, I sit down with Yahel Efroni to talk about what it means to build technology in a reality where roles constantly shift and how does the ecosystem have evolved with new faces that 2 years ago were not looking towards Defense innovation but have realized thier dedication today is for the future of their children.We discuss how that dual experience shapes the way early-stage companie
Episode 13 | Why Israel Leads in Defense Innovation - Elinor Yakobson
In this episode, we sit down with Elinor Yakobson, a specialist in defense tech, dual-use innovation, cyber, and homeland security, for a candid conversation on what it really means to lead in one of the world's most demanding industries.In this conversation, we explore:- What it's like to be a woman in a field where women are rarely in the room- Israel's high-tech defense ecosystem - home to over
What Makes a Defense Startup Investable? | Aaron Applbaum (Kinetica)
In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Appelbaum, Partner at Kinetica VC, for a thoughtful conversation on defense tech, investing, and long-term responsibility.In this conversation, we explore:Growing up in a home shaped by investing, policy, and global securityWhy Aaron was drawn early to international relations and decision-makingChoosing Israel as a home base for building and backing defense
Building Israel's Next Generation of Founders | Ike Bodner (The Sandbox)
In this episode, Shay Senior sits down with Ike Bodner for a deeply personal conversation about identity, responsibility, and building in the hardest moments.Ike moved to Israel in 2009, served in the Israeli Air Force at Nevatim Air Base as an F-35 engine mechanic, and later worked as a drone mechanic at Aeronautics. But this conversation goes far beyond résumés.We talk about Ike’s journey as an
From the Moon to Drone Delivery | Yariv Bash (SpaceIL & Flytrex)
Episode 10 - Yariv Bash | From the Moon to Your Front DoorWhat does it take to move an idea from imagination to real-world operation?In this episode, Shay Senior sits down with Yariv Bash, co-founder of SpaceIL and CEO of Flytrex, one of the first companies in the world approved to operate commercial drone deliveries to residential homes in the United States.Yariv shares the journey from helping l
The Next Wave of Defense Innovation | Lior Caspi (DEFENSE.TECH Expo)
This episode isn’t about building a product.It’s about how an industry becomes an industry.Lior Caspi has spent over 25 years in marketing and business development positions, at the intersection of:technologydefenseglobal audienceslive moments where ideas become movementsHe’s seen unmanned systems evolve from niche military demos to global platforms that shape policy, markets, and public perceptio
Can We Hear Drones Before We See Them? | Itay Nourian (Insignito)
In this episode, Shay Senior speaks with Itay Nourian, co-founder of Insignito and former commander of the Israeli Air Force “Signatures” unit, where the foundations of drone acoustics were built for the defense establishment.They discuss how sound is measured, how it behaves in real environments, and why acoustics is still a largely unexplored field in modern defense. The conversation also dives
Navigating Without GPS | Roy Shmuel (Sightec)
In this episode, Shay Senior sits down with Roy Shmuel, founder of Sightec, the new edge of computer vision in autonomous vehicles.They discuss how autonomous vehicles operate when gps signals and positioning can’t be trusted, why scaling autonomy is harder than most people expect, and how hard it is for investors and decision-makers to tell the difference between promising ideas and technologies
What the Drone Industry Can Learn from Cybersecurity | Yaron Rosen (Airwayz & a16z Scout)
In this episode, Shay Senior sits down with Yaron Rosen to examine a question the industry hasn’t fully answered yet:Who will manage the skies as autonomy scales and who actually owns that space?Drawing parallels to the cyber world of a decade ago, we explore how today’s unmanned and autonomous ecosystem is approaching a familiar inflection point. Back then, cyberspace grew faster than regulation,
Investing Before the World Believes | Menahem Landau (Caveret Ventures)
In this episode, Shay Senior sits down with Menahem Landau, founder of Caveret Ventures. One of those investors who truly understands how dual-use technologies evolve, and what it takes for a company to build products that fit military requests, and how they can shift from a civilian use to defense.It’s a direct, honest conversation about deep-tech investing, the realities founders face, and what
We're Thinking About Autonomous Systems All Wrong | Ben Alfi (AGANA)
In this episode, Shay Senior sits down with Ben Alfi, introducing AGANA for the first time and discussing how the company is rethinking the way autonomous systems operate across land, sea, and air.The conversation explores what it takes to build technology that works beyond the lab. where simplicity, reliability, and real-world usability matter just as much as technical performance. Ben shares les
פרק 3 - שיחה עם ישראל טלפז - Seetree - מהפכה במטע
בפרק הזה שי סניור מארח את ישראל טלפז, מנכ"ל ומייסד שותף של SeeTree – סטארטאפ ישראלי שהביא רובוטיקה ובינה מלאכותית לעולם שבו הכל מתחיל בעץ אחד.דיברנו על איך הופכים תחום מסורתי כמו חקלאות לחדשני, מה הביא טלפז מהעולם הבטחוני למטעים של קליפורניה, ואיך השילוב בין רחפנים, חיישנים, ודאטה משנה תעשייה שלמה מבפנים.זו שיחה על חיבור בין אנשים, טכנולוגיה ואדמה, על איך עושים חדשנות אמיתית איפה שהכי פחות צי
פרק 2 - שיחה עם דן מימרון - Nak AI - רובוט תת ימי כחול לבן
בפרק השני אני מארח את דן מימרון, COO וחבר בורד בNakAi Robotics. חברה ישראלית שמפתחת רובוטים לניקוי תחתיות של אוניות. דיברנו פשוט וברור על הבעיה הגדולה של ביופאולינג (ירוקת/אצות שנדבקות לגוף האונייה), למה זה מייקר דלק, מזהם את הים ומפיץ מינים פולשים, ואיך רובוט ישראלי קטן מנקה אוניות ומשנה תעשייה שלמה.בפרק אנחנו מדברים על:הבעיה שלא רואים מתחת לפני הים – איך שכבה דקה של ירוקת גורמת לאוניות לבזבז דלק
פרק 1 - שיחה עם אורי גונן – מפקד יחידת 5353 הראשון
בפרק הראשון אני מארח את אורי גונן, שהיה המפקד הראשון של יחידה 5353, והיום מוביל יזמות בתחום הכלי טיס הבלתי מאוישים בגובה רב (HAPS).בחרתי לפתוח איתו את הפודקאסט כי הוא היה מהאנשים המרכזיים שהובילו אותי לרצות ולהתעמק בתחום, לקבל נקודת מבט חדשה ומקצועית יותר על העתיד שלנו. אורי מייצג את החיבור בין חדשנות ביטחונית לחדשנות אזרחית, ויש לו נקודת מבט נדירה על איך רעיונות הופכים ליכולות בשטח ואחר כך למיזמי
פרק 0 - קצת על עצמי ועל מה אנחנו נדבר באוטונומוס
בפרק הראשון של אוטונומוס, אני עוצר רגע לדבר בגובה העיניים על מה אנחנו הולכים לבנות כאן – ולמה בכלל להתחיל פודקאסט על כלים בלתי־מאוישים.אני משתף בקצרה על הדרך האישית שלי – מהשירות בצבא, דרך החיבור לעולמות הרחפנים, הרובוטים והמערכות האוטונומיות, ועד לרגע שבו הבנתי שהשיחות מאחורי הקלעים שוות במה משלהן.אנחנו לא נדבר רק על טכנולוגיה, אלא על האנשים שמפתחים אותה – יזמים, מהנדסות, משקיעים, בוגרי יחידות טכ
