Episode 16 | From Gaming to Battlefield Robotics — Rubi Liani (XTEND)

<p>In Episode 16, we sit down with Rubi Liani, co-founder of XTEND, and go deeper into the path that led him there.</p><p>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.</p><p>What followed wasn’t a straight line. Together with Aviv Shapira, through the Israel Drone Racing League (FRIL), Rubi entered the world of gaming, building a company in a space where others, with more experience and resources, had already tried to solve similar problems.</p><p>Over time, that journey evolved into what we know today as XTEND.</p><p>In this conversation, we talk about:</p><ul><li>how early decisions shape long-term direction</li></ul><ul><li>choosing the right people and building trust</li></ul><ul><li>operating with limited resources while still moving forward</li></ul><ul><li>and how seemingly unrelated experiences connect over time</li></ul><p>We also dive into how that background led to rethinking how drone pilots are trained and not just building systems, but building capability.</p><p>This is not a story about a “perfect path.”<br />It’s about how different chapters come together, and only make sense in hindsight.</p><p>If you’re building, investing, or operating in defense tech, there’s a lot to take from this one.</p>