Symbol closes on $50m debut fund for Israeli founders

• LPs include LionBird, VCs, entrepreneurs and family offices from the US and Europe
• Established in 2021, Symbol focuses on pre-seed and seed deals
• The firm targets B2B, consumer and enterprise tech start-ups

Tel Aviv-based venture capital firm Symbol has closed its debut fund at $50 million focus on Israeli entrepreneurs.

The fund started operating after an initial closing in late 2021 and has since made 10 pre-seed and seed investments in companies including Sightful, Breeze, Nilus, CardinalOps, Jiga and Squire.

Symbol’s limited partners include LionBird, as well as VCs, entrepreneurs and family offices from the US and Europe.

“I was a founder of a company that was well outside of the VC consensus; it was extremely challenging to raise funds for our first round. This sparked a decade-long interest in great ideas which similarly don’t tick all the VC boxes,” Symbol founder and managing partner Yuval Ariav said in a statement. “And these companies are, quite literally, hidden gems. Assured Allies, Next Silicon, and Fundguard are three companies that struggled to raise their first rounds and have since raised tens of millions in follow-on funding, gained significant commercial traction and are considered to be market leaders in their domains.”

Established in 2021, Symbol invests between $500,000 and $3.5 million in first funding rounds. It focuses on B2B, consumer, and enterprise tech start-ups.