Omri Casspi raises $100 million follow-on fund to double down on Israeli tech
The former NBA player expands Swish Ventures to $300M AUM, backing portfolio startups from Seed through late growth.
Venture capitalist and former NBA player Omri Casspi is expanding his VC firm Swish Ventures with a new $100 million Opportunity Fund, bringing the firm’s assets under management to $300 million. The vehicle will allow Swish Ventures to continue backing its portfolio companies beyond the $63 million Seed fund, supporting them through later growth stages and into maturity. The Opportunity Fund is already fully subscribed.
In a conversation with Calcalist, Casspi said the capital was raised largely from existing backers: “Most of the money came from investors who wanted to continue supporting the companies in our portfolio. The commitments came together quickly from our internal LPs, with a few new investors joining, and then we were off and running.”
Casspi reflected on his transition from basketball to venture investing: “I’ve been investing for three years now. I’ll always miss the game, but I’m building my life after it and enjoying working with the entrepreneurs I get to invest in. Our fund is different, and so is our product. We keep a small and very focused portfolio, and that creates a different kind of relationship with founders.”
He added that while his public profile opened doors, he worked intentionally to build depth behind it. “Being well known in Israel and the United States helped me a lot, and I enjoy it,” he said. “But over time, the spotlight fades and you need substance. A lot of players have funds - Steph Curry, others - but I do this every day, not as a side project.”
The new Opportunity Fund plans to participate in roughly eight investments across cybersecurity, infrastructure technologies, and AI, typically writing checks of about $10 million. Swish intends to remain an active partner in supporting its founders and helping scale the companies.
Swish’s portfolio includes companies such as Cognition, Eon, Upwind, Irregular, Applied Compute, and Tenzai.
Investors in the new fund include U.S. and Israeli institutional LPs, Office Finance, and previous backers including the Sequoia fund. Swish Ventures, launched in early 2025, is managed by Casspi, who serves as founder and managing partner, alongside Ori Striechman, as an associate.
