Intel Capital Reorganizes Israeli Team After Investing $120 Million in Local Startups in 2018

Intel Capital, the venture arm of chipmaker Intel, is reorganizing its Israel-based team after investing a total of $120 million in 14 Israeli startups in 2018, the company announced Monday during its 2019 conference held in Phoenix, Arizona. The team will continue leading Intel's current pace of investments in Israel, Intel Capital said, with a special focus on companies raising series A and up, earlier stages than the company focused on to date.

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Intel Capital’s local investment director and partner Yair Shoham will be joined by venture capital veterans Roi Bar-Kat and Noam Kaiser. Bar-Kat previously worked at U.S.-based Liberty Technology VC, while Kaiser was previously Amazon’s business development manager for venture capital in Israel, Spain, and Portugal. Adi Caspi Zepkowitz, already on the team, has been promoted to associate, Intel Capital said.

Intel Capital operates independently from Intel, Kaiser told Calcalist Monday, adding that the fund also intends to collaborate with other corporate funds such as Samsung and Qualcomm.

The fund is especially interested in the domains of artificial intelligence, data centers, autonomous vehicles, 5G, and cybersecurity, Caspi Zepkowitz said.

In 2017, Intel paid $15.3 billion for Jerusalem-headquartered automotive chipmaker, turning the company into its global headquarters for automotive vehicle development. Intel acquired 12 Israeli companies since 2010. Its local investments in 2018 included public transit app developer Moovit App Global Ltd. and artificial intelligence chipmaker Habana Labs Ltd. Intel also participated in a $35 million round for electronic health company ProteanTacs Ltd. announced Monday.