Investment platform OurCrowd has emerged as the most active venture capital investor in Israel this year as record amounts of capital flood into the country’s startup ecosystem.
So far in 2021, VCs have poured $7.45 billion into Israeli startups, according to PitchBook data—an increase of 49% from 2020’s full-year figure.
We’ve identified the most active VC investors in Israel-based deals since the beginning of 2021, along with their deal counts:
Much of this growth has come via late-stage rounds, with over two-thirds of all capital invested going to more mature startups. While early-stage companies still represent the majority of transactions, later-stage startups are slowly increasing their share of deal count, to 35.1% in 2021 versus 30.1% in 2020.
This year’s mega-deals include ecommerce marketing platform Yotpo‘s $230 million Series F and a $235 million round raised by facial recognition technology company AnyVision.
A significant amount of capital is being raised by Israeli investors as well. Tel Aviv-based TLV Partner‘s $220 million close on its fourth Israel-focused fund, for example, not only dwarfing the size of all its predecessor vehicles but also underscores record levels of investment that the country’s venture-backed startups have enjoyed over the past year. The firm also secured $100 million for a vehicle dedicated to its existing portfolio companies.
Investors from overseas are also expanding their presence in the country. SoftBank is reportedly looking to open an Israel office to be headed by former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. Private equity giant Blackstone opened an office earlier this year to pursue growth and tech investments in Israel. Other global players with locations in Israel include Bessemer Venture Partners, Insight Partners and Sequoia.
