Israeli VCs urge startups to tap into Europe’s $50 billion opportunity

“I think that we should probably remember that there is dry powder in Europe, like $50 billion, and Israelis forget,” said Maya Sela, SVP, Global Venture Capital at Leumi Tech. “Israeli startups sometimes forget, and they go globally to the United States, but they can start here. It's very nearby.”

Sela was speaking to CTech’s Amy Shapiro on a VC panel hosted at Mind The Tech in London, the flagship conference from Calcalist and Bank Leumi. She leads the venture capital activity of the international, global, and Israeli VC in Israel. At LeumiTech, they work with the local ecosystem, supporting them with banking services when they need to expand worldwide. “If you pass all the regulations and the hard complexities that a company needs here, they can succeed everywhere.”

“I think Israeli entrepreneurs underestimate the amount of capital that's available for investment by European investors as well,” agreed Ido Vigdor, General Partner at Viola Credit. “Over the years, a lot of capital has been raised across Europe. There are US funds that have come over the years to invest in European founders and obviously in Israeli founders, but European investors have not done a lot of work in coming to Israel to bring the entrepreneurs to Europe. I think it's something that Israeli entrepreneurs would need to do a bit more proactively, and tackle local markets across Europe for that capital to come their way.”

Viola Credit is a global credit investor that was formed in Israel but operates globally. It manages over $3.5 billion in AUM across the technology and innovation economy with a focus on Israeli-related founders. Recently, there has been emphasis on growing its European footprint and London-based team to support both Israeli and non-Israeli technology companies across Europe.

Mind The Tech saw a myriad of speakers discuss the opportunities in Europe, not to mention London specifically. As the world embraces the digital transformation of AI and how it will change businesses, Yair Cassuto, General Partner at Pitango First, expressed his excitement.

“I think we're in one of the most exciting ages that, as tech investors, we've been in the last, I would say, century,” he said. Pitango First is the early-stage fund of Pitango, one of the largest venture groups in Israel. It manages over $3 billion throughout multiple funds and invests in early-stage investments in tech and healthcare, as well as growth investments. “We're on the verge of one of the biggest transformations of technology with the GenAI introduction into our lives, and complementary technologies like quantum computing that are becoming much closer to reality. And in this, I think our opportunities are almost endless.”

You can learn more about each VC and their approach to investment across Europe in the video above.