Entrepreneur and investor Yuval Ariav closes $50M debut fund Symbol
August 2023
- Symbol has closed its debut fund at $50 million, targeting first-check investments in Israeli entrepreneurs building 'pre-consensus' startups.
- The fund made 10 pre-seed and seed investments, including Sightful, Breeze, Nilus, CardinalOps, Jiga, and Squire.
- Despite the global financial climate, five companies in the Symbol portfolio have raised another funding round.
- Two of the portfolio companies are alumni of Y Combinator.
- Notable companies in the Symbol portfolio, like Assured Allies, Next Silicon, and Fundguard, struggled initially but raised tens of millions in follow-on funding.
- Symbol's founder and Managing Partner is Yuval Ariav, previously involved in successful ventures like Onavo (acquired by Meta) and as co-founder of financial tech unicorn Fundbox.
- Ariav aims to support entrepreneurs considered too risky or niche for early-stage VCs, focusing on Israel's outstanding talent density and unique traits.
- Symbol invests between $500k to $3.5M in exceptional Israeli entrepreneurs building pre-consensus companies, regardless of location or sector.
- Investors include US-based VC funds, European investors, and executives from major global American companies.
Sources:
1. Business Wire
(M.M.)
