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- Savyon Ventures on Why Startups Fail | $250M for Viola Ventures | Israel Joins U.S.-Led Pax Silica Initiative
Savyon Ventures on Why Startups Fail | $250M for Viola Ventures | Israel Joins U.S.-Led Pax Silica Initiative
This Week in IsraelTech - The Moment Investors Realize You Don’t Actually Have a Business ft. Eran Savir of Savyon Ventures
What if the hardest startup to build is actually a VC fund?
Most founders think raising money is brutal. According to Eran Savir, Founder and Managing Partner of Savyon Ventures, building the fund itself is a tougher climb than any startup he built. And after three exits and one painful failure, he has the scars to explain why.
In this episode, Eran breaks down the real mechanics behind seed investing, why early traction matters far more than pitch decks, and the parts of founding that still surprise him even after years on both sides of the table. This is the rare interview where a VC speaks like a founder who still remembers every late payroll, every rejection, and every moment a company comes apart or breaks through.
We cover:
Why Savyon Ventures focuses on AI, digital and commerce, and what “internet companies” really means in 2025
The difficulty of getting your first real customer who is not in your personal network
Why Israelis excel at bold outreach and using the diaspora as a hidden distribution channel
How Eran evaluates initial traction and why three to five real transactions matter more than any warm intro
The surprising gap between being a founder and being a VC and why switching mindsets is so tough
What transparency looks like in practice and why most founders never get real feedback from investors
and more.
Watch now and let us know your takes.
Shorts of the Week
Hire Fast, Hire Right ft. Deel's CTO, Yaron Lavi
Strengthening Israel's Ecosystem: Iron Nation $100M Fund ft. Jason Wolf of Iron Nation
What if Israel’s next global export isn’t cyber but culture? ft. Daniel Cohen of Sticker Ventures
This Week in Israeli Tech News
Viola Ventures Secures $250M for Two New Funds to Support Emerging Israeli Startups
Viola Ventures, a prominent Israeli venture capital firm, has raised $250 million to fuel the next wave of innovative startups from Israel, focusing on sectors like AI, quantum, and cybersecurity.
Viola Ventures is positioning itself as a key player in supporting the growth of Israel's high-tech ecosystem, with a focus on scaling companies in advanced fields such as AI and cybersecurity.
Funding led by Viola Ventures and strategic advisory support from industry leaders at IBM, Payoneer, and Mellanox.
Elbit Systems Signs Groundbreaking $2.3B Deal with UAE
Elbit Systems, a leader in defense electronics and innovative security systems, has secured a monumental contract with the UAE, marking a historic moment for Israeli defense exports.
Dell Acquires AI Startup Dataloop for $120M
Dataloop, an AI data-infrastructure startup, has been acquired by Dell Technologies in a $120M all-cash deal. This acquisition enhances Dell’s capabilities in enterprise AI and data services, leveraging Dataloop’s platform for managing, labeling, and processing unstructured data.
Germany Expands Arrow Missile Procurement with $3.1B Deal
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has secured a second massive deal with Germany, reinforcing Europe’s missile defense against growing security concerns.
Echo Secures $35M in Series A Funding
Echo, the cloud security platform transforming AI-native infrastructure, continues its rapid growth with its latest $35M Series A raise, bringing the total funding to $50M in less than a year.
Cyera Raises $400M, Valuation Soars to $9B
Cyera, a leading Israeli cybersecurity company, continues to make waves in the global data security space, securing a massive $400M in funding.
NextVision Reaches $5B Valuation After Landmark $77M Drone Camera Deal
NextVision, an Israeli leader in drone camera technology, has closed its largest deal to date, securing a $77 million contract for stabilized cameras. The deal significantly boosts the company's market cap, now valued at $5 billion.
Dux Security Launches with $9M Seed Round to Revolutionize Cyber Defense
Dux, an AI-powered exposure management platform, aims to prevent cyberattacks by identifying and neutralizing exploitable vulnerabilities before they are used.
Culture Corner
This past week the IDN went on a long day of touring Israel’s north with the Jewish National Fund, which has been a long-time investor and builder of the State of Israel. This time we met with Jews and Druze who cooked together, poked around an ancient Crusader fortress from 800 years ago in the 100% Arab Christian village of Mi’ilya and visited Kibbutz Gaaton which today boasts a wonderful first-class dance studio which provides training to international dancers. The reason it's so impressive is its origin story. The dance school was opened by a young dancer, Yehudit Arnon, who survived Auschwitz and promised G-d she would dance forever if she survived. When she got off the boat in Israel, Arnon opened the dance school. Arnon passed away in 2013 but her school lives on. Tune in to the Israel Daily News Podcast to hear more from the North.
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