“Tell Your Story Backwards.” The Advice Every Founder Needs But Rarely Gets w/ Judah Taub of Hetz | Entrée Capital Adds $300M in New Funds | Shashua's Mentee Robotics unveils new footage

In the fast-paced world of startups and entrepreneurship, the right support can make all the difference between success and stagnation. That's where Hetz Ventures, led by Co-founder and Managing Partner Judah Taub, comes in—a beacon of hope and opportunity for visionary minds seeking to revolutionize industries.

Hetz empowers innovation and drives meaningful change in the startup ecosystem. With a deep understanding of technology and a passion for disruptive ideas, Judah Taub and his team are committed to providing more than just financial backing.

Hetz handpicks their LPs from Israel and beyond as well as targeting corporate executives to create a connected and actionable global network, ready to tap into at any time.

They offer strategic guidance, mentorship, and a network of resources to help budding entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building a successful company.

Watch this exclusive interview with Judah on IsraelTech.

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Shorts of the Week

Seed is where the real partnerships in Israeli tech begin. ft. Tal Slobodkin of StageOne Ventures

Before it had a name, she chose FinTech. ft. Adi Levanon of Selah Ventures

Israel’s tech power isn’t only built here. It’s joined by Jewish leaders abroad ft. Dror Globerman

This Week in Israeli Tech News

1. Israel Prepares to Deploy Its First Operational Laser Defense System by Year-End

   The Ministry of Defense is set to hand over the “Or Eitan” / Iron Beam laser interceptor to the IDF, marking a major leap in low-cost, high-precision air defense capability.

   Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dr. Danny Gold, the DDR&D team, Rafael partners, and the broader defense-tech ecosystem are shaping the future of interception technologies.

   

2.  Ignite DeepTech Launches Fall 2025 Cohort, Welcoming 10 Breakthrough Startups

   Ignite DeepTech, founded by Alon Leibovich and Tzahi (Zack), has officially kicked off its Fall 2025 program, bringing together 10 standout early-stage teams, selected from 239 applicants, who are driving some of the most ambitious deep-tech innovation in Israel.

3. Mentee Robotics Reveals Major Advance in Autonomous Humanoid Robotics

   Mentee Robotics unveiled new footage of its MenteeBot V3.0 operating fully autonomously in a warehouse - navigating, lifting, sorting, and coordinating tasks with a second robot. The company, founded by Prof. Amnon Shashua, Prof. Lior Wolf, and Prof. Shai Shalev-Shwartz, is positioning its technology for industrial deployment as the global humanoid race accelerates.

4. Entrée Capital Adds $300M in New Funds, Bringing AUM to $1.5B

   Entrée Capital announced two new funds totaling $300M, strengthening its Seed and later-stage investment strategy across AI, SaaS, deep tech, crypto infrastructure, and defense-tech. The firm, led by Avi Eyal, Ran Achituv, Yoni Osherov, and Eran Bielski, plans to deploy the capital across 25–30 early-stage deals along with meaningful follow-on support.

5. Paxos Acquires Israeli MPC-Wallet Startup Fordefi in $100M+ Deal

   Paxos has acquired Fordefi, the Israeli crypto-security startup whose MPC wallet technology is used by more than 200 institutional clients. The deal brings Fordefi’s advanced transaction simulation and key-recovery capabilities - developed under CEO Josh Schwartz - into Paxos’ expanding digital asset custody and stablecoin infrastructure.

6. Bright Data Crosses $300M ARR as Demand for Real-Time Web Data Accelerates

   Bright Data reported surpassing $300M in ARR with more than 50% year-over-year growth, driven by soaring demand for live web data used to ground and train AI models. CEO Or Lenchner says the company is on track to reach $400M by mid-2026 as it now supports 14 of the top 20 global LLM labs and powers over 100 million daily AI-agent interactions.

Culture Corner

Special Coverage:

Dror Or - the third-to-last hostage body returned to Israel from Gaza - was finally laid to rest on November 30, 2025, bringing a painful chapter to a close for his tight-knit community in Kibbutz Be’eri. His family had already sat shiva after officials confirmed his death and informed them that he remained in Gaza, but they could not hold a funeral without his body. Be’eri, one of the hardest-hit communities on October 7, 2023, is bound together by deep intergenerational ties. Nearly everyone we spoke with at the ceremony was either a relative of Dror or of his late wife Yonat, who was also murdered that day. Almost no press aside from the Israel Daily News attended, with the video being shared by the Government Press Office. Dror’s body was finally returned on November 28, 2025, exactly two years - to the day - after his children were released from captivity. His children delivered raw, emotional testimonies at the funeral, crying into the microphone as they said goodbye at last. Dror Or was a skilled and internationally-trained cheese-maker. His cousin told the Israel Daily News they will begin to eat cheese again after a two-year pause in solidarity.

Click here to listen to the special report and an exclusive with the parents of Ran Gvili— the final Israeli hostage body in Gaza.

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