Our Story
Venture capital can look like a spreadsheet — valuations, multiples, IRRs — but every cell hides a human story.
Where It All Began
Long Before VentureIsrael
Officially, our journey began in 2012 with the launch of the Jerusalem Startup Hub, the very first coworking space and center of entrepreneurial innovation in Jerusalem. In truth, the roots run far deeper. Maybe the story starts in the 1930s, when an NKVD (soviet secret service) interrogator shattered Rafael’s grandfather’s fingers, demanding he renounce Zionism — he never did. Or when another of Rafael’s grandfathers listened to Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s fiery speeches and saved coins for Keren Kayemet. Maybe it started with Gadi’s grandmother, who clung to Jewish tradition in a hostile environment and brought her own dishes and food for Passover. Or with his parents, who refused to replace their Hebrew names with “acceptable” alternatives during Soviet-era antisemitism.
Two Paths, One Direction
The thread runs through both of us entering the first Jewish day-schools to open after the USSR collapsed (Gadi in Moscow, Rafael in Kyiv) and through fifteen-year-old Gadi insisting on finishing high school in Israel under the Naale program — at the very start of the Second Intifada. We then took separate paths. Gadi served three years in an IDF special unit in Gaza before studying architecture at Bezalel while launching entrepreneurial projects in e-commerce. Rafael earned a computer science degree at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”. From freshman reporter he rose to become editor-in-chief of IT Business Week magazine at 23, then walked away for a year at kibbutz Ein Tzurim, studying history and sociology while prototyping his own startup JewishNet, a Jewish social platform.
From Here, We Build
Jerusalem Startup Hub
We met in Jerusalem in 2012. If you want to belong in a startup community, give before you take — so we did. So we opened the Jerusalem Startup Hub, which quickly became a magnet for founders. Running 24/6, we leased the space overnight to a U.S. firm on American hours and, by daylight, let Jerusalem startups use the very same desks for a nominal charge. The model clicked: Jerusalem Startup Hub hosted then-mayor Nir Barkat (himself a founder and VC) twice, welcomed startups and social ventures from SpaceIL to Via, and served as a second home for many teams in their earliest days.
JSCapital
The hub soon evolved into JSCapital, an investment platform representing international investors in Israel. In a few years we closed 30+ deals, logged several exits, and kept our compass fixed: 80% Deep Tech, 85% AI-focused, 90% early-stage, 100% Israel.
VentureIsrael Fund I
In 2020 we decided to launch our own fund, building on our track record. Despite a world turned upside down, we raised VentureIsrael via Zoom from 18 Limited Partners across the globe who shared our vision for Israeli innovation. We maintained our exclusive focus on Israeli early-stage deep tech companies, becoming one of Israel's 10 most active VCs among 900+ funds. Our LP base includes unicorn founders, industry builders from retail to pharma, and several GPs of other venture funds — a compliment we treasure. Our first fund emerged during the pandemic and faced two wars. We proved we could perform under any circumstances — not just survive, but thrive. We became stronger together. Our investment strategy delivered: during the war, we had zero write-offs and achieved two exits.
The Israeli Association for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IAEAI)
We believe that building the future of AI requires more than just funding—it takes a bit of heart and responsibility. Co-founding the Israeli Association for Ethics in AI was our way of bringing 50 bright minds together to talk about what’s right. Having Rafael join the Ministry of Innovation’s expert forum in 2025 feels like the right next step in that journey. It’s quiet work, but we think it’s some of our most important.
VentureIsrael Fund II
We launched our second fund on Israel’s 77th Independence Day, supported by our long-time LPs and new partners who believe in this journey. We’ve always felt that the most resilient companies are built during tough times, and we’re here to walk that road with our founders, side by side. While the numbers show we’re currently the #3 most active fund in the country, it’s the people behind those numbers that matter most to us. The story is just beginning.
The Team
Recognition
Frontier AI Investor of the Year - Israel
Wealth & Finance · 2026
Early-Stage Tech Investor of the Year - Israel
BFSI Insider · 2025
DeepTech Venture Capital Firm of the Year
Wealth & Finance · 2025