Viola Ventures raises $250 million to back Israel’s next tech wave
Two new funds target high-performing portfolio companies and early-stage startups.
Viola Ventures, one of Israel’s leading venture capital firms, has announced the raising of two new funds totaling approximately $250 million, aimed at investing in Israeli startups at different stages of growth.
The first, Viola Conviction Fund I, is a dedicated secondary fund totaling around $100 million. It will focus on investing in the firm’s existing portfolio companies with the goal of increasing stakes in high-performing businesses.
The second, Viola Ventures VII, is the firm’s seventh main fund and will focus on early-stage investments including Seed rounds, Series A, and incubation initiatives. Although the fund has already reached its first closing, it is scheduled to launch in early 2026, as investments from the previous, sixth fund are still underway.
Viola Ventures expects to make approximately 20 new investments with the seventh fund, concentrating on Vertical AI, Enterprise AI, Fintech, AI Infrastructure, Cyber, Quantum and Defense technology.
Viola Ventures 7 will be led by Managing Partners Omry Ben David and Zvika Orron with co-founder and Managing Partner Shlomo Dovrat.The investment team also includes newly appointed Partner Alex Shmulovich, Principals Tal Abuloff and Alon Cinnamon and Analyst Assaf Shriber. Avi Zeevi, co-founder of the Viola Group, will remain active in the fund as a mentor, a member of the investment committee and board member of portfolio companies.
Viola Ventures has established a support network for entrepreneurs, the Leadership Circle, which brings together CEOs and entrepreneurs from Israel and abroad who have invested in the fund and serve as advisors and board members for portfolio companies. Notable members include: Jim Whitehurst, former President of IBM, former CEO of Red Hat, and COO of Delta Airlines. Scott Galit, former CEO of Payoneer. Cris Conde, former CEO of SunGard. Eyal Waldman, founder and former CEO of Mellanox, acquired by NVIDIA. Tomer Bar-Zeev, co-founder and former CEO of IronSource, acquired by Unity. Yiftach Shoolman, Co-founder of Redis. Reuven (Ruby) Aronashvili, founder and CEO of CYE, Lior Gerenstein, CTO of Via (Nasdaq: VIA).
Since its founding in 2000, Viola Ventures has made over 150 investments, including some of Israel’s most successful tech companies such as ironSource, Payoneer, Redis, Pagaya, Lightricks, ProteanTecs, immunai, PayZen, Faye, Duetti and PhaseV among others. The fund is part of Viola-Group, Israel’s largest tech-investment group with over $6.5 billion in AUM.
