CTalk
“Japan can honestly and seriously help Israeli startups to grow”
“Japan in many ways is isolated from this downturn. So I believe that there are more opportunities for Israeli companies to come here,” added Eyal Agmoni, Founder of Chartered Group, speaking to CTech during the Israel-Japan Conference in Tokyo
“The big difference between us and other VCs is that we come in with a private equity mindset. Usually in private equity before you invest you want to know how you exit, which is very difficult in venture capital because you take a risk with technology. The way we structure our fund is that we talk to our LPs and we get from them a cheat sheet of sorts and they tell us what they are interested in and what they would like to have and our job is to find the best of the pack in Israel and invest,” said Eyal Agmoni, Founder of Chartered Group, speaking to CTech during the Israel-Japan Conference in Tokyo.
About seven years ago, Agmoni recognized the need for large Japanese companies to be exposed to deep-tech and started investing in Israeli tech companies. Together with Tel Aviv University, they founded TAU Ventures, led by Chartered, and to date have invested around $350 million in over 50 Israeli high-tech companies.
“It must be deep tech and disruptive, but the funnel is wide,” said Agmoni when asked which sectors Chartered focuses on.
Over the years, Agmoni has made several large transactions, including in 2007 when he bought the fifth largest company in the non-bank financing sector in Japan. He took over an investment fund and also invested in tourism, establishing the Aman Resort in Kyoto and a ski resort in the town of Niseko.
Agmoni explained how Japanese companies can help Israeli startups. “Cars were not invented in Japan, but Japan leads this sector. When it comes to crafting, marketing, and improving, the Japanese can look at things and honestly and seriously help Israeli startups to grow.”
Agmoni believes the Japanese market could benefit from the global macroeconomic situation. “Japan in many ways is isolated from this downturn. So I believe that there are more opportunities for Israeli companies to come here," he said. "I also believe that Israeli institutional investors should allocate money here. The future is Japan.”
You can watch the full interview in the video above.
