TEL AVIV, ISRAELย | Israeli-founded robotics company XTEND AI Robotics is setting its sights on becoming a global operating-system standard for robotics after its shares climbed approximately 25 percent during its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
The company began trading under the ticker XTND on Sept. 4 after completing its business combination with U.S.-based JFB Construction Holdings. The transaction valued XTEND at approximately US$1.5 billion and delivered about US$67.7 million in cash to the combined company.
Four days later, XTEND marked its first day as a publicly traded company by ringing the opening bell at the NYSE.
Co-founder and CEO Aviv Shapira told Israeli business publication Globes that the public listing represents part of a much larger ambition for the company.
“We aspire to be the Android of robotics, and we want to be the standard,” Shapira said.
XTEND develops software and artificial intelligence systems that allow human operators to control robotic platforms in complex and dangerous environments. Its technology is used primarily in defense, law enforcement and security applications.
Rather than concentrating primarily on building individual drones or robots, XTEND is seeking to establish its XOS operating system as a platform capable of controlling different robotic systems.
That distinction is central to the companyโs international strategy.
“Physical AI means giving artificial intelligence arms and legs and interacting with the environment,” Shapira told Globes.
The company says its technology is intended to reduce the need for people to enter dangerous environments by allowing robotic systems to perform tasks while maintaining human oversight.
More Than 12,500 Systems Deployed
XTEND says its XOS operating system now powers more than 12,500 deployed systems across more than 30 countries and has been used in five active combat zones.
The company has sovereign manufacturing operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Singapore and Latvia.
“Physical AI belongs where the risk is highest, and the margin for error is smallest,” Shapira said in a company statement marking the NYSE bell-ringing ceremony.
“Becoming a public company allows us to expand the development and integration of artificial intelligence alongside high-quality hardware, turning operator capabilities into something precise and reliable, while protecting human life.”
XTEND was founded in 2018 by brothers Aviv and Matteo Shapira, Adir Tubi and Rubi Liani.
The company works with the Israel Defense Forces and U.S. defense agencies, among other customers, and has increasingly positioned itself as a physical AI and robotics software company rather than simply a drone manufacturer.
Shapira said XTENDโs software is designed to dramatically shorten the amount of training required for people to operate robotic systems.
The company has also opened its platform to outside developers, a strategy that helps explain Shapiraโs comparison with Googleโs Android ecosystem.
An open robotics platform could allow third-party developers to build applications for different machines and operational requirements while using XTENDโs underlying software.
If widely adopted, that model could give XTEND a role extending far beyond selling its own robotic hardware.
Israeli Experience Shapes Global Expansion
XTENDโs origins and operational experience in Israel remain an important part of its technology development.
Shapira told Globes that the company was built as an international organization from the beginning, with subsidiaries in the United States, United Kingdom and Singapore.
He also directly addressed the challenges Israeli companies can face internationally during a period of intense political pressure surrounding Israel.
“They see me as Israeli. I donโt hide it, and Iโm not ashamed, God forbid,” Shapira said.
At the same time, the publicly traded company is incorporated in Delaware and maintains its principal executive offices in Tampa, Florida, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Shapira said XTENDโs experience in Israel and Ukraine has provided the company with extensive operational knowledge of robotics in real-world environments.
He also cited the use of robotic technology in search-and-rescue operations following missile strikes in Israel.
The companyโs strategy is to apply lessons from those environments to a broader international market where governments are increasing spending on defense, border protection, law enforcement, and autonomous systems.
Public Listing Provides Capital For Growth
XTENDโs transition to the NYSE followed completion of its merger with JFB Construction Holdings on Sept. 3.
JFBโs shares ceased trading on Nasdaq after the market closed that day, and shares in the combined XTEND AI Robotics began trading on the NYSE the following morning.
The transaction provided XTEND with additional capital to support working capital, manufacturing expansion and international growth.
XTEND reported revenue of US$19.7 million in 2025, up 20.6 percent from the previous year, according to Globes. The company nevertheless remained unprofitable, recording a net loss of US$26.8 million.
During the first quarter of 2026, revenue increased 234 percent to US$5.8 million, while XTEND recorded a net loss of US$11.6 million.
The company expects substantial growth but does not currently forecast reaching positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization until 2028.
That makes the NYSE debut both a milestone and the beginning of a more demanding stage for XTEND.
As a publicly traded company, it will face greater scrutiny of its revenue growth, profitability, contracts and ability to convert technological leadership into sustainable commercial performance.
Shapira said future growth is expected to come through both existing operations and acquisitions.
Another Israeli Technology Company Reaches Wall Street
XTENDโs successful market debut adds another publicly traded company with Israeli technology roots to the U.S. capital markets at a time when much of Israelโs technology sector remains dominated by venture financing, private companies and acquisitions.
The listing is particularly notable because XTEND operates at the intersection of several rapidly developing sectors: artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous systems and defense technology.
Israel has long established an international reputation in cybersecurity and defense technology. Physical AI, which combines artificial intelligence with machines that can act in the physical world, is increasingly emerging as another significant technology field.
XTEND is betting that the operating system controlling those machines could become as strategically important as the robots themselves.
For Shapira, the long-term objective extends considerably beyond the companyโs first days on Wall Street.
“In the future I want us to be the main operating system standard in the world for life-saving and border protection,” he told Globes.
XTENDโs share price rose about 25 percent on its first trading day, an encouraging public-market start.
The larger test will be whether an Israeli-founded robotics company can now turn years of operational experience into the global technology standard its founders envision.
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