The fund will invest $500,000 to $1.5 million as an initial investment in each selected initiative and will support its portfolio companies' growth through next-stage funding rounds. The fund will serve as a feeder for later-stage investments in Israel and abroad.
One of the fund's active general partners, Takeshi Shinoda, manages private equity and investment activities in Tokyo and Singapore, so the fund will also help its portfolio companies make connections in Japan and other Asian markets.
"Demand among Asian investors in general, and Japanese investors in particular, for exposure to Israeli technologies and innovation is on the rise," said managing partner Anat Tila Cherni.
Gideon Ben-Zvi, chairman of the fund's investment committee, said professional investment entities have been reluctant to invest in early-stage companies.
"This trend has only been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and we believe that there is a real need for a fund like ours," he said.
(Reporting by Tova Cohen; Editing by Steven Scheer)
