As we move from Yom HaZikaron into Yom HaAtzmaut, we honor the fallen, those who gave everything for this country, and carry their legacy into the future we’re building together.

This transition is uniquely Israeli: from mourning to celebration, from silence to song, from memory to momentum.
It reminds us that every breakthrough, every startup, every bold idea is part of a bigger story - one of resilience, sacrifice, and vision.

At IsraelTech, we’re proud to tell that story, and to spotlight the innovation shaping the next chapter of our nation’s journey.

77 has never looked so good.

Stop choosing. Just do everything you want.

In this episode of IsraelTech, host Yoel Israel sits down with the legendary Rona Segev, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at TLV Partners - one of Israel’s most influential VCs backing the country’s most promising deep tech and AI-driven startups.

Rona shares her unfiltered thoughts on:

🚀 What she really looks for in a first-check investment (hint: it’s not the deck)
🧠 Why being “different” matters more than being better
👩‍👧‍👦 Her journey from 24-year-old founder and mother of two sets of twins to board member at over a dozen companies (many acquired or IPO’d)
🔮 How quantum computing + AI will flip the tech world on its head
🧘‍♀️ Work-life balance, ADHD, and the myth of choosing between career and motherhood
💡 And why founders should work with friends - and ignore the noise

This is more than an interview. It’s a masterclass in Israeli chutzpah, grit, and vision from someone who’s shaped the ecosystem for over two decades.

👇 Drop a comment: Do you think college degrees are becoming irrelevant in tech? What’s your take on quantum + AI?

About Rona Segev

Rona Segev, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at TLV Partners, is a longtime champion of ambitious founders building transformative technologies. With deep experience across AI, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and dev tools, she brings both operational know-how and strategic vision to early-stage investing.

A former entrepreneur herself, Rona is known for backing exceptional talent from the earliest stages and guiding them through the challenges of product-market fit and global scale. Her portfolio includes several standout Israeli startups and a string of high-impact exits, reflecting her sharp eye for industry-shaping innovation.

Rona has been instrumental in the success of companies like Run:ai, Skycure, and Varonis - and continues to partner with rising stars such as Port, Unit, and Aidoc.

About TLV Partners

​TLV Partners is a leading early-stage venture capital firm based in Tel Aviv, focused on backing bold founders building category-defining technology companies. With a deep belief in founder-first investing, TLV Partners specializes in areas like developer tools, AI, cybersecurity, and cloud infrastructure - the core building blocks of tomorrow’s tech landscape.

Founded by experienced operators and investors, the firm is known for its hands-on support from day zero through product-market fit and beyond. TLV Partners takes pride in helping Israeli startups scale globally, with a track record that includes standout successes like Run:ai, Varonis, and Laminar.

At its core, TLV Partners is more than a fund - it’s a long-term partner to ambitious teams shaping the future.

This Week in Israeli Tech News

1. Sentrycs and Xtend Join Forces to Strengthen Drone Security

   Two leading Israeli defense tech innovators are teaming up to advance drone threat detection and mitigation for high-stakes operations.

2. Gutsy Evolves Into Minimus with $51M to Rewrite Software Supply Chain Security 
   The Twistlock founding team is back—this time with a mission to eliminate software vulnerabilities before they reach production, using minimalistic, CVE-free images and infrastructure.

3. Flow Secures Over $100M to Redefine Residential Living

   Flow - the proptech startup founded by Adam Neumann - is reimagining how people experience urban living through technology, design, and community-driven spaces. With a focus on fully integrated, AI-powered property management, Flow is building connected living environments that scale across cities.

4. Sightful Launches Spacetop for Windows, Bringing AR Workspaces to Any AI PC

   Sightful is redefining how we work with screens - replacing traditional monitors with a 100-inch private AR workspace powered by your laptop.

5. LayerX Extends Series A to $37M to Secure the Browser Era

   LayerX is arming enterprises with AI-powered browser security to stop GenAI data leaks, malicious extensions, and SaaS threats - all with a single extension.

6. Lightrun Secures $70M Series B to Fix AI-Generated Code Before It Breaks

   As AI floods production with more code than ever, Lightrun’s observability platform steps in to debug issues before they crash your stack - directly from the IDE.

Culture Corner

Pope Francis Dies: Was He Favored in Israel?

Pope Francis passed away on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 in Vatican City, leaving behind a complex legacy marked by reform and controversy. While he championed interfaith dialogue and met with Israeli hostage families, his recent accusations of genocide against Israel during the Gaza war sparked outrage in Jerusalem. His support for a nativity scene depicting baby Jesus (who was Jewish) in a modern-day Palestinian keffiyeh further antagonized relations. 

Francis has, however, made significant gestures toward the Jewish community, including visits to Yad Vashem and the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan offered respectful farewells, acknowledging his efforts to strengthen Jewish-Christian bonds. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina, Francis maintained close ties with Jewish leaders and denounced antisemitism as “inhuman and un-Christian.”

Listen to the Full Story

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