Israeli Startups Investor YL Ventures Closes 4th Fund At $120M

YL Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in Israeli cybersecurity startups. autonomous vehicles, and enterprise software, announced last week that it had closed its fourth fund at $120 million, bringing the firm’s total capital to $260 million.

The newest funding round, headed by Silicon Valley-based managing partner Yoav Andrew Leitersdorf, was closed with a combination of new and current investors, aiming to build a “concentrated portfolio of top-tier seed sta cybersecurity companies out of Israel,” a statement said.

Founded in 2007, YL Ventures focuses on early stage startups, and has invested in 16 companies to date. Eight of these companies have had successful exits. Exits include cloud cybersecurity startup Twistlock, acquired by Palo Alto Networks in May 2018, US-Israeli cybersecurity startup Hexadite, acquired by Microsoft and performance testing tools developer Blazemeter, acquired by CA Technologies in 2016.

“As with previous funding efforts, the YLV IV fund will be extremely selective, investing in only the most promising Israeli startups tackling the biggest cybersecurity challenges facing the industry,” Leitersdorf said. “We then go the extra mile to make our portfolio companies successful, nurturing nascent technologies and products, and leveraging our hard-won network of CISOs and C-suite executives in the U.S.”

With a presence in both Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley, YL Ventures aims to bridge the gap between Israeli innovation and US end markets.

“One of the most challenging aspects of being an Israeli entrepreneur is crossing over from Israel to the US, and actually meeting your prospects and understanding your market,” said Jonathan Langer, CEO of Medigate, one of YLV’s portfolio companies. “The support and introductions provided by YL Ventures are incredibly valuable, providing immediate and unbiased feedback that’s crucial for the success of the company.”