This Week in Interviews

🇮🇱 Legacy, Leadership & the Future of Israeli Innovation | Chemi Peres on IsraelTech

What does it mean to carry the Peres name in today’s Israel - and what does the future of defense, venture capital, and peacebuilding look like through the eyes of someone shaping all three?

In this rare sit-down, Chemi Peres - Managing Partner & Co-Founder of Pitango Venture Capital, Chairman of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, and son of Israeli visionary Shimon Peres - opens up like never before.

We talk about:

• His journey from IAF pilot to VC powerhouse

• The untold story of Israel’s canceled Lavi fighter jet project and U.S. pressure behind it

• How failures (and getting fired) drove him to build Israel's largest VC firm

• The rise of dual-use defense tech and Israel’s advantage in AI and innovation

• The vision behind the Peres Center’s Institute for the Future

• Why the next frontier is going from unicorns 🦄 to giraffes 🦒 - yes, trillion-dollar companies!

And he doesn’t shy away from controversy - from legacy to geopolitics to the tech future of war and peace.

👉 Watch, comment, and join the conversation: Is Israel ready to lead the future of global tech - again?

About Chemi Peres

Chemi Peres is Co-Founder and Managing General Partner at Pitango Venture Capital, Israel’s largest VC firm with over $2.3B under management. He serves on the boards of portfolio companies including Via, Taboola, Duda, Totango, Radwin, and Venn.city.

He previously founded and led Mofet Israel Technology Fund, one of Israel’s first venture funds, publicly traded on the TASE.

Chemi sits on the board of Teva Pharmaceuticals (NYSE) and has held board roles at several public companies, including Aladdin, AudioCodes, BackWeb, Koor Industries, Orckit Vocaltec, and Voltaire.

Before entering VC, he was VP of Marketing & BD at DSI, a consultant to Israel Aerospace Industries, and served as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force for 10 years.

He holds a BSC and MBA in Industrial Engineering & Management from Tel Aviv University.

Chemi co-founded the Israel Venture Association (now IATI), chaired the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce (2008–2011), and serves on multiple nonprofit boards. He is currently Chairman of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation and leads the Pearls of Wisdom nanotech initiative.

About Pitango

​Pitango Venture Capital, established in 1993, is Israel's largest venture capital firm, managing over $2.8 billion in assets. The firm operates through three specialized funds:​

• Pitango First: Focuses on seed and early-stage startups, particularly in deep tech and emerging fields. ​

• Pitango Growth: Targets growth-stage companies across various technology sectors. ​

• Pitango HealthTech: Dedicated to health technology investments, including digital health, medical devices, diagnostics, biotech, and life sciences. ​

Over the years, Pitango has invested in more than 250 companies, supporting entrepreneurs from stealth mode through growth stages. Notable portfolio companies include AppsFlyer, eToro, Graphcore, Taboola, and Via Transportation. ​

The firm was co-founded by Rami Kalish and Chemi Peres, who have played significant roles in shaping Israel's venture capital landscape. Pitango continues to partner with exceptional founding teams to drive innovation across various industries.​

This Week in Israel Tech News

1. Anecdotes Raises $55M to Simplify Global Compliance for Regulated Industries

   Tel Aviv-based Anecdotes, a fast-growing GRC platform, just secured an additional $30M in a Series B extension, bringing their total capital raised to $85M, to meet the surge in regulatory demands across tech, finance, and healthcare.

2. VC Powerhouse Liad Agmon Exits Insight to Launch His Next Big Thing

   After years backing some of Israel’s most promising startups, Liad Agmon - former founder of Dynamic Yield and Onigma - is returning to his entrepreneurial roots. He’s stepping down as partner at Insight Partners to build his next venture from the ground up.

3.  Unframe Raises $50M to Redefine Enterprise AI Delivery

   This Israeli AI startup is making waves with lightning-fast, fully tailored AI solutions that help large enterprises go from idea to implementation in hours.

4. Team8’s Star Partner on Why Israel Builds the Future, Even in Chaos

   With a career spanning top roles in U.S. intelligence, Admiral (ret.) Michael Rogers has seen it all - and still, Israel’s tech grit leaves him in awe. Now a partner at VC firm Team8, he’s helping shape the next generation of cyber and AI startups from the heart of Tel Aviv.

5. Israel Backs New Deep Tech Incubators to Fuel Energy, Infrastructure & MedTech Innovation

   Big moves from the Israel Innovation Authority: Two new incubators - Square One Labs Build and Edge Medical Ventures - have been chosen to launch and grow dozens of high-impact Deep Tech startups over the next five years.

6. Safe Superintelligence and Eon.io Partner with Google Cloud to Scale Innovation

   Two Israeli-founded trailblazers - Safe Superintelligence Inc. and Eon.io - are teaming up with Google Cloud to supercharge their next-gen AI and data search technologies.

This Week in Culture

During a family hike near Beit Shemesh, 3.5 year-old Ziv Nitzan made an epic discovery: a 3,800-year-old Canaanite scarab amulet! She picked it out of a pile of stones, wiped off the dirt, and instantly became Israel’s tiniest archaeologist. Experts say the scarab, shaped like a sacred Egyptian dung beetle, symbolized new life and was used as an ancient seal or good luck charm. Ziv’s rare find will now star in a special Passover exhibit alongside ancient treasures at the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel. Her good citizenship earned her a certificate, a meet-and-greet with archaeologists, and a place in history—proving that even preschoolers can help unlock the secrets of the past!

Listen to the Full Story

Happy Passover from IsraelTech

This holiday celebrates freedom and resilience - values that fuel the spirit of Israeli innovation. As we reflect on the journey of resilience, we honor the innovators and startups who embody these values in their work, driving forward Israel’s tech ecosystem.

Wishing you a meaningful Passover filled with hope, innovation, and growth.

Our Replies Are OPEN!

We love hearing from you! Got a comment on a video? A news tip we should highlight? Drop us a message - your voice is crucial in helping us democratize the Israeli tech ecosystem, and we’re listening!

More from IsraelTech

Or Listen on your Favorite Audio Platform

Follow Us

So You Enjoyed the Newsletter, But Are You Subscribed?