An Israeli-Japanese venture capital fund has raised $ 60 million to...

A new Israeli-Japanese venture capital fund called Aristagora VC, designed to invest in early-stage Israeli companies, has raised $ 60 million. The fund focuses on investing in deep tech companies and will invest between $ 500,000 and $ 1.5 million in each venture as an initial investment, and will also support follow-up rounds.

The Israeli partners in the fund are Anat Tila Charney, who will serve as managing partner. Charney has 10 years of experience in technology investments, the capital market and investment banking and has led the Asia division at Discount Capital Underwriting. Moshe Tzarfati, who will serve as managing partner, was previously a managing partner in Krypton VC focused on technology investments in the lime stages, and is leaving Bank of America. The chairman of the fund’s investment committee is Gideon Ben-Zvi, who currently serves as CEO of Valens, which founded and previously managed four start-up companies, three of which made an exit. The fund has a fourth partner, Takashi Shinoda, based in Japan. Shinoda is the owner and CEO of Aristagora Advisors.

Artistagura team. From the right: Gideon Ben Zvi, Anat Tila Charney and Moshe Tzarfati Photo: Doron Letzer

The decision to focus on investing in Israeli companies came following a number of business collaborations in recent years on the Israel-Japan axis, between Thila Charney and Shinoda. Over the years, the interest of Shinoda and other investment factors in Japan in technologies and innovation in Israel has increased. Against this background, it was decided to establish the fund.

This is the first venture capital fund set up by Shinoda and although the Japanese generally prefer to enter companies at a later stage, the long acquaintance with the Israeli market has resulted in the decision to invest in young companies with deep technology. Representation in Japan will assist in the entry and growth of Asian companies, markets that are more challenging to penetrate for foreign companies. The purpose of the fund is to assist entrepreneurs in the stage of product development and customer base growth, which involves many costs.

Moshe Tzarfati, managing partner at the fund, said: “Market data and many studies show that the trend of low investment in early-stage companies in Israel and around the world has only worsened in recent years with the increase in the number of funds and their financial size.” Early-stage investors today are required to provide broader financial quiet than in the past, and support larger amounts in young companies until they reach the ready stages for funds and follow-up players. “Difficult and broad financial capabilities, we will give peace to the portfolio companies and feed the follow-on funds as soon as the companies are ready for the next steps.”

Anat Tila Charney, managing partner of the fund, said: “There is a growing demand to be exposed to Israeli technologies and innovation, among Asian and Japanese investors in particular. On the other hand, the process of foreign and especially Israeli companies entering the Japanese market is a slow and challenging process. The culture, pace of work and local business conduct are almost impossible.We have the opportunity to help significantly as a fund with a Japanese operation.It is important to note that activity in Japan is not a necessary condition for our investment, we are a global fund that brings significant advantage in the Japanese market. And also in the hat of a Japanese investor. “