NFX launches one-week investment track to back Israeli startups during wartime
The program targets early-stage companies building under mounting economic pressure.
Venture capitalist Gigi Levy-Weiss is launching a fast-track investment initiative aimed at early-stage startups, as Israel’s tech ecosystem grapples with the disruptions caused by the war with Iran.
His fund, NFX, is launching another round of its FAST program, under which it will invest up to $6 million per company, with a commitment to provide founders with a decision within one week and to transfer funds on an accelerated timeline. The program will run for the next two weeks until Memorial Day on April 20th.
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NFX's Israeli partners Gigi Levy-Weiss (from left), Sarai Bronfeld, and Omri Amirav-Drory.
(Photo: Tamir Levy)
The initiative is being led by NFX’s Israeli partners - Levy-Weiss, Sarai Bronfeld, and Omri Amirav-Drory - who have decided to revive the program after a two-year hiatus. This marks the third FAST investment marathon held by the fund since October 7, 2023.
The decision reflects a growing recognition that Israeli entrepreneurs continue to build, particularly in artificial intelligence, despite increasingly complex operating conditions. NFX says the goal is to inject capital quickly and accelerate dealmaking at a time when local investment activity has slowed.
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The move comes amid a broader economic slowdown in Israel, as the war weighs on business confidence and startup formation. Beyond backing individual companies, the fund says it aims to support the wider ecosystem by encouraging new company creation during a period of heightened uncertainty.
Investments under the FAST program will focus on areas including B2C, Artificial Intelligence (from infrastructure to applications), AI DevOps, Vertical AI products, Space and Defense Tech, alongside all of the fund's other investment areas. The emphasis will be on AI-native startups capable of scaling quickly and establishing a competitive edge early in their lifecycle.
"Precisely during a period of uncertainty, when many entrepreneurs are called up for reserve duty or forced to cancel participation in significant events and conferences, we decided to provide a tailwind to the high-tech industry," said Gigi Levy-Weiss, founding partner at the fund. “We are in a period of ongoing challenges, alongside one of the greatest revolutions of our generation, and therefore it is important to continue and establish new companies.”
