Accel hires Facebook corporate development executive for Israel team: CORRECTED

Accel has added Nir Blumberger to its investment team. Blumberger is an Accel venture partner and based in Tel Aviv. Previously, he worked as a Corporate Development executive at Facebook.

CORRECTION: A prior version of this story incorrectly said that Blumberger was a Facebook venture partner. He was not. The story and headline have been corrected. 

PRESS RELEASE

London/Tel Aviv, 8th June 2016: Accel, the leading global venture capital firm, today announces that Nir Blumberger has joined its investment team from Facebook as Venture Partner and will be based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Accel opened its first international office in London in 2000 to partner with extraordinary founders and teams across Europe and Israel. In that period, Accel has invested in over 30 companies in Israel from a range of technology sectors. Blumberger’s appointment deepens Accel’s commitment to the Israeli technology ecosystem; based in Israel and a core part of the Accel investment team in London, he will be leading investments in consumer and enterprise start-ups in the region.

Over the past 15 years, Accel has worked with a number of leading Israeli founders and companies. Current and past investments include enterprise security companies Aorato (Microsoft) and Imperva (NYSE: IMPV), global services marketplace Fiverr and data governance solutions provider Varonis Systems (NASDAQ:VRNS). Most recently, Accel led a $12 million Series B in E8 Storage, an early-stage enterprise storage company founded in Tel Aviv.

Born and raised in Israel, Blumberger joins Accel from Facebook where he was a Corporate Development executive, driving global M&A and strategy in areas such as virtual/augmented reality, messaging and video. He was previously with McKinsey & Company in Europe and Israel. Blumberger has an MBA from Stanford University and previously studied computer science at The Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, where he participated in the Zell Entrepreneurship Program. He has also co-founded two technology startups and was a participant at Singularity University’s Graduate Studies Program.

Philippe Botteri, Partner at Accel, said: “Israel is a vibrant hub for innovation, and Accel has long-held conviction in the great ideas and entrepreneurs that have emerged from the region. We are seeing exciting companies and technologies come out of Israel at an increasing pace, making it the perfect time for us to expand our presence. We are thrilled to have Nir join our team from Facebook. His world-class technology and business background from Israel and Silicon Valley make him a perfect fit for Accel.”

Blumberger said: “I’m thrilled to come home to Tel Aviv and to do so with Accel, one of the world’s best venture firms. I look forward to partnering with our great entrepreneurs to build – and scale! – world-class companies, leveraging Accel’s global network to its fullest extent. I’ve been excited about seeing bolder and more diverse ideas coming out of Israel, and I look forward to contributing everything that I have.”

In April, Accel announced the raising of its latest fund, Accel London V. A $500 million fund, it brings Accel’s funds under management in Europe and Israel to $2.5 billion.

About Accel
Accel is a leading early and growth-stage venture capital firm, powering a global community of entrepreneurs. Accel backs entrepreneurs who have what it takes to build a world-class, category-defining business. Founded in 1983, Accel brings more than three decades of experience building and supporting hundreds of companies. Accel’s vision for entrepreneurship and business enables it to identify and invest in the companies that will be responsible for the growth of next-generation industries. Accel has backed a number of iconic global platforms, which are powering new experiences for mobile consumers and the modern enterprise, including Atlassian, BlaBlaCar, Dropbox, Etsy, Facebook, Flipkart, Fiverr, Funding Circle, Kayak, QlikTech, Simplivity, Slack, Spotify, Supercell, World Remit and others.

More information: http://www.accel.com.