monday.com launches $200M venture arm to back AI startups
What's the deal? monday.com is launching monday VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a new investment arm with up to $200M to back early-stage AI startups. The Israeli software company will focus on startups building AI agents, enterprise applications, cybersecurity tools, and workflow automation — from seed to Series B, writing cheques of $1M to $5M.
The initial allocation is $50M, with any expansion beyond that requiring board approval. Aviel IchaïDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, formerly of N47, leads the fund as investment lead.
Why now? monday.com's stock fell 73% in the 12 months to mid-2026 as investors worried that AI could undermine its core SaaS business. The company is going on the offensive — trying to shed its status as a symbol of the so-called "SaaS apocalypse" by positioning itself as a backer of AI-native companies.
Co-founder and chief executive officer Roy MannDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → said the company shifted its strategic focus in late 2025. monday Ventures has already made several investments, including leading a seed round for BlocksDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a platform built by monday.com alumni that develops digital workers for enterprise processes. It also invested in Guidde, which closed a roughly $50M Series B, and joined a $12M seed round for NanoCo, an open-source AI agent platform.
What could go wrong? The $200M commitment is substantial for a company whose stock is under pressure. Corporate venture arms historically struggle to match the returns of independent funds, and conflicts of interest — between strategic goals and financial returns — can muddy decision-making. If monday.com's core business continues to face headwinds, justifying a large venture programme to shareholders could get harder.
The fund's focus on Israeli startups, while playing to monday.com's home-court advantage, also narrows the deal pipeline compared with geographically agnostic competitors.
The signal: monday.com's move reflects a broader pattern of mature software companies launching venture arms to stay relevant in the AI era. Rather than just building AI features in-house, it is betting that backing the next wave of AI-native tools will give it both strategic insight and financial upside. For monday.com, it is a hedge against disruption: if AI reshapes the way organisations work, better to own a piece of the companies doing the reshaping.
Read more: monday Ventures · Geektime · Calcalist · LinkedIn
