From Burgers to Bombs: The Dark Side of Flytrex
By Institute of Ethical Venture Capital - Ethics VC
“Uber partners with Flytrex to launch drone delivery - September 18th, 2025”[1] - In today’s world, where convenience and instant gratification take priority, what could be better than your groceries or latest craving delivered through the air, no traffic, no delays, and no interaction with humans for the true introverts. Now picture these same drones dropping bombs on the children of Gaza tomorrow. Would you still support this futuristic partnership? Behind the promise of convenience lies a troubling reality: a large swath of venture capital and corporate partners are financing dual-use commercial and military systems, blurring the line between civilian life and militarized violence.
Image for illustration purposes only: contrasts civilian and military uses of similar drone technology. Gaza today vs an American suburb
The Company Behind the Drone
Uber’s first investment in a drone delivery partnership is an Israeli startup called Flytrex, headquartered in Tel Aviv. Not new to the US drone delivery scene, Flytrex has been partnering with DoorDash in Texas since June 2025, with the ambition to expand into use cases beyond food delivery, including larger payloads and longer flight times.[2] The company was founded by Yariv Bash, an ex-IOF member and founder of Mahanet (an Israeli military technology creativity camp),[3] and Amit Regev, a former IOF intelligence member.[4] Flytrex began as a project that involved building black boxes for drones. The company brought on ex-Google Naom Bardin, CEO of Israeli-founded and now Google-owned Waze, to be appointed as executive chairman.[5]
Flytrex drones fit into the dual-use products category commonly used by Israel in its genocide of Palestinians, with a critical requirement being “Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) for long-range operations”. BVLOS is crucial for drones used in Gaza, as control is needed even when the operator can’t see the drone directly. Flytrex is one of the few drone companies in the US to have received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations.[6] Additionally, the Flytrex drones have a lifting capability of 6.6 pounds, cloud-based command & control for scalable oversight, and a travel speed of up to 32 mph at heights of up to 230 feet.[7]
The Money behind Flytrex
Flytrex was funded by the following firms, many of which have a history of either working with the IOF or developing products and services for them:
From the list above, the following Flytrex investors stand out for their complicity in war crimes:
OurCrowd is an Israel-based fund with numerous defense companies in its portfolio.[8] It launched the $50 million Israel Resilience Fund in 2023, channeling capital to tech companies, including those in the Israeli cybersecurity industry, such as Edgybees, which works closely with the Israeli military.[9] The CEO confirmed that their “technology has been crucial for the Israeli Defense Forces’ operations” and its employees, most of whom serve in the IOF.[10]
Israel Innovation Authority (IIA) is an Israeli government investment arm that collaborates directly with Israel’s defense sector through joint programs with the Ministry of Defense’s Research and Development Directorate (DDR&D), such as the Meimad Program, which funds dual-use military and commercial technologies.[11] It has even approved partnerships dominated by the defense industry, including one led by Elbit Systems to develop human-robot interaction technologies, and another with Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to advance autonomous vehicle command and control systems.[12]
BRM Group has long financed dual-use technologies and is behind Checkpoint, an Israeli cybersecurity firm with close ties to the Israeli military.[13] Checkpoint works with Israel’s biggest arms companies, including drone manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).[14]
Uber, a Flytrex partner, positions itself as military-friendly through UberMILITARY.[15] Former Uber executive Emil Michael was confirmed in 2024 as U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering.[16]
These links reveal a complex ecosystem where consumer tech, investors, and governments intersect with the military-industrial complex.
Israel’s Record of Dual-Use Repurposing
As the historical intersections of commerce and warfare have consistently demonstrated, Flytrex’s dual-use capabilities are a significant concern. While the Fyltrex tech is currently focused on commercial uses, its founders, funders, and similar uses in the Gaza genocide demonstrate that such commercial uses are not confined to the civilian sphere. It would be no surprise if Fyltrex pivoted to military uses in occupied Palestine and elsewhere. Israel has repeatedly adapted civilian tech for military ends, often tested on Palestinians, earning the title of being “Battle Tested”. In Francesca Albanese’s UN report, “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide,” there are striking examples of how “Civilian technologies have long served as dual-use tools of settler-colonial occupation” in Gaza and the broader occupied Palestinian territory. Firms like Caterpillar Inc., Microsoft, Hyundai, Volvo, and Amazon are known for civilian products while also playing significant roles in both the logistics and operations of the genocide, as well as the apartheid political system in Israel.[17]
The civilian-to-military pipeline, which flows both ways, is documented already in +972 Magazine’s report on how the Israeli military weaponized a fleet of Chinese-manufactured commercial drones to attack Palestinians in parts of Gaza.[18] Additionally, Skydio X10D drones used in Gaza are also marketed as “dual-use innovation” for both commercial applications and defense applications.[19]
Two years into a genocide now affirmed by the UN as well as a global consensus of academic genocide scholars, the international community must not tolerate companies partnering with firms founded by former IOF members–especially those developing technologies clearly capable of enabling war crimes through the civilian-to-military pipeline.[20]
What You Can Do - Use your wallets to be heard!
War profiteers should not govern and surveil our skies, social media feeds, and local communities. Divestment campaigns have a precedent of tremendous success, most notably in apartheid South Africa, also combating fossil fuels, weapons manufacturers, and private prisons. Despite corporate propaganda that asserts otherwise, ethical alternatives exist and are often equally profitable, and at times, they outperform these problematic yet widespread investments.
Through exposing how venture capital rapidly pivots between technology for civilian applications and complicity in war crimes, we have the collective power to demand that technology innovations serve peace, not repression, violence, and genocide. Here are some ways you can get involved:
Get involved with and learn more about Ethics.VC, as well as other divestment campaigns! Follow the money:
Check if your pension fund or university endowment invests in or partners with Uber or in Flytrex’s investors. Demand divestment. Contact us for assistance with university endowment or pension fund research.
As an investment advisor/manager, make sure your clients are not investing or partnering with Uber or Flytrex’s investors. Do not expose clients to unnecessary ethical, legal, or reputational risks, especially in cases where portfolio companies or their investors may be linked to human rights violations or controversial practices.
Boycott Uber and DoorDash and demand divestment: Push institutions you’re a part of, as well as companies you may have investments in, to withdraw funding tied to military operations. Follow the targets of the official BDS campaign and download the Boycatt app at Boycat to easily investigate how you can personally withhold money from complicit companies. Encourage others to do the same. Hold responsible parties accountable, for example, challenge Uber and others to drop their defense ties.
Raise awareness: Share evidence exposing how “convenience tech” fuels war in your communities, with friends and family, and online.
Quick Factsheet -
