Eric Trump-Backed Startup in Talks to Supply Humanoid Robots to IDF

The Financial Times published the report on Wednesday, citing Foundation Future Industries co-founder and president Mike LeBlanc. The newspaper did not say a contract had been signed, and the discussions had not been independently confirmed by Israel.

Talks With the IDF

According to the Financial Times, the company is in talks with the Israel Defense Forces to supply humanoid robots to patrol Hamas tunnels beneath Gaza and potentially engage in combat. The FT’s standfirst described discussions with the Israeli military “to deploy its machines in Gaza’s tunnels and potentially engage in combat.”

No public comment from the IDF or Israel’s Defense Ministry could be independently confirmed after the report appeared. The account should be read as a report of talks, not as evidence that a supply deal, test or deployment has been agreed.

Eric Trump’s Role at the Firm

The FT described the start-up as backed by Eric Trump, the son of U.S. President Donald Trump. In earlier statements, the company has said he has been an investor since early this year and serves as chief strategy adviser, Reuters reported in July.

A Foundation spokesperson told CNBC in May that Trump had been an investor before becoming an adviser. The company and Trump’s representatives have said he has no role in day-to-day management or in decisions on government contracts. Those earlier remarks were not a response to the FT’s report on Israel.

The Company’s Phantom Robot

Foundation, founded in 2024 and based in San Francisco, builds a humanoid called Phantom. The firm has marketed the machine for industrial work as well as military tasks such as logistics and reconnaissance.

The company has said it tested Phantom units in Ukraine this year, according to CNBC and WIRED, describing that work as logistics and scouting rather than combat. In July, chief executive Sankaet Pathak told WIRED that Foundation was exploring “kinetic things,” a phrase the magazine said referred to weapons systems, and that it expected to unveil something in the following months.

Humanoid robots are also being pursued elsewhere for military use. China has accelerated plans to put humanoids on the battlefield, and Washington has moved to restrict Chinese humanoid robots in the United States.

The FT’s report does not establish that Israel has chosen Foundation’s robots, or that they would be armed. Until the IDF or the Defense Ministry confirms the talks, the claim rests on the newspaper’s account of what LeBlanc said.