# Top 25 Social Startup Investors in Middle East in October 2023

## lool Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Relevant deals: 4
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, SaaS, Mobile

lool Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in early stage Israeli startups.

## Rami Lipman
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 3
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: SaaS, Software, Machine Learning

Rami Lipman is an angel investor.

## Toyota Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Los Altos, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Software, Robotics

Toyota Ventures is a San Francisco Bay Area-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups from around the world. Founded in July 2017, its mission is to discover what’s next for Toyota by helping startups bring disruptive technologies and business models to market quickly. With more than $500 million in assets under management,the firm’s funds include the Toyota Ventures Frontier Fund focused on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, autonomy, mobility, robotics, smart cities, digital health, financial technologies, materials, and energy; and the Toyota Ventures Climate Fund focused on innovative solutions for carbon neutrality.

## North First Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: SaaS, Big Data, Financial Services

North First Ventures is a Venture Capital Fund, partnering with seed to round A stage companies in Israel that harness innovative technologies, solve real-world problems within large existing markets or create new markets.

## Nextgear Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Vehicles

Next Gear Ventures venture capital firm specializing in early stage. The firm typically invests in the Israel. Next Gear Ventures venture is based in Israel.

## JOINT JOURNEY
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Limassol, Limassol, Cyprus
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence

Active investment firm that calling founders with a great product vision across diverse industries

## Eilon Tirosh
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series C
- Focus: Apps, FinTech, Digital Entertainment

Eilon Tirosh is a Startup Helper at SpearHealth. He attended Tel Aviv University.

## Terra Venture Partners
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, Israel
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, Health Care

We are an early stage venture capital firm dedicated to partnering with inspiring entrepreneurs to build breakthrough companies

## iRobot
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Bedford, Massachusetts, United States
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series B, Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence

iRobot designs and builds robots that empower people to do more. The company's home robots help people find smarter ways to clean and accomplish more in their daily lives. iRobot's portfolio of solutions features proprietary technologies for the connected home and advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificialintelligence. iRobot was founded in 1990 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology roboticists with the vision of making practical robots a reality. iRobot's home robots are revolutionizing the way people clean – inside and out. More than 15 million home robots have been sold worldwide. The award-winning iRobot Roomba® Vacuum Cleaning Robot is leading the charge. Roomba made practical robots a reality for the first time and showed the world that robots are here to stay. iRobot's acclaimed line of home robots also includes the iRobot Scooba® Floor Scrubbing Robot, the iRobot Braava™ Floor Mopping Robot, the iRobot Mirra™ Pool Cleaning Robot and the iRobot Looj® Gutter Cleaning Robot.In 2015, iRobot generated $617 million in revenue and employed more than 600 of the robot industry's top professionals, including mechanical, electrical and software engineers and related support staff. iRobot stock trades on the NASDAQ stock market under the ticker symbol IRBT.iRobot's corporate headquarters are located in Bedford, Mass. The company also has offices in California, the United Kingdom, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

## Bloomberg Beta
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: San Francisco, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning

Bloomberg Beta is an early-stage venture capital firm with $375M under management, capitalized solely by Bloomberg. The fund exists to expand Bloomberg’s horizons by investing in companies built by extraordinary founders that make business work better, with a focus on machine intelligence.

## Maniv Mobility
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B
- Focus: Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Software

Maniv Mobility is a global venture capital fund investing in the world's leading mobility start-ups.

## Alex Zubillaga
- Type: Angel
- Location: New York, New York, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: E-Commerce, Apps, Music

Alex Zubillaga is the founder of 14W, a New York-based, venture capital firm focused on consumer Mobile, Web, E-commerce, CPG, and Media.Previously, Alex was Executive Vice President, Digital Strategy and Business Development at Warner Music Group (WMG). Prior to WMG, Alex founded Net Uno, a leading Venezuelan cable television and broadbandoperator where he served as CEO and Chairman.

## Sente Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Pre-Seed, Series B
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Information Technology

Sente is a Chicago-based startup investment and innovation platform. Sente searches the world for the most high-potential startups and helps them scale through unprecedented guidance, support, and connections.

## Vektor Partners
- Type: VC Fund
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Seed
- Focus: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision

VC investor in the mobility revolution

## Woven Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series D
- Focus: Robotics, Transportation, Fleet Management

Woven by Toyota innovates and invests in new technologies, software, and business models that transform how we live, work, and move.

## Sherpa InnoVentures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series B
- Focus: AgTech, Gaming, Social

Sherpa InnoVentures is an innovation-focused investment fund that invest in highly innovative technological companies to deliver value to its investors and to portfolio companies. Sherpa InnoVentures invests directly in internet and other information and communication technologies and non-pharma life sciences. The company is committed to personallyescort each portfolio company and to work closely with each company’s management team according to the company's specific needs. Sherpa InnoVentures' approach to fund management is developed to add value to both investors and portfolio companies by applying unique innovation tools at all stages and effecting personal working relationships between all parties involved. The company uses a structured approach for identifying and implementing innovation.Sherpa InnoVentures is headquartered in Israel.

## Sarya Holdings
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Social, Social Network

Sarya Holdings is a private-owned company engaged in various sectors ranging from AgriTech, Chemical Manufacturing, and a strong emphasis on FMCG.

## Index Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: San Francisco, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Series B, Seed
- Focus: Software, E-Commerce, Internet

Index Ventures is an international venture capital firm with dual headquarters in San Francisco and London, investing in technology-enabled companies with a focus on e-commerce, fintech, mobility, gaming, infrastructure/AI, and security.

## Mirai Creation Fund
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series B, Series A
- Focus: Robotics, Information Technology, Software

The Mirai Creation Fund invests in companies and projects that use the latest technologies and business models, supporting the growth of value in these companies and projects, wherever they are found around the world.   

## Yossi Matias
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series B
- Focus: Music, Social, Content

Yossi Matias is Vice President, Engineering, at Google and the Head of Google's R&D Center in Israel which he established. He leads global efforts in Search, AI, and Crisis Response (some highlights here), and is the founding executive lead of Google’s Campus Tel Aviv, the birthplace of Launchpad and other global entrepreneurship programs.In addition to his executive and entrepreneurial experience, Yossi has been on the Computer Science faculty at Tel Aviv University, and previously a Research Scientist at Bell Labs and visiting professor at Stanford. He published extensively, has dozens of patents on his name, and pioneered some of the early technologies for the effective analysis of big data, internet privacy, and contextual search. He is a recipient of the Godel Prize and is an ACM Fellow.Yossi was on the board of IATI - Israel Advanced Technology industries - and is co-chair of IATI’s Multi National Companies Forum.

## Glory Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Shanghai, Shanghai, China
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Series B, Seed
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Manufacturing

Glory Ventures is a cross-border venture capital fund established by a new generation of investors with a global perspective. Already achieving excellent performance, the investment team has plentiful experience in both China and Israel's high-tech and venture capital industries. The unique advantages by which Glory Ventures distinguishesitself from other domestic venture capitalists lie in the fact that it is a research-driven VC that realizes the value of an entire industrial value chain. They integrate industrial resources from the private equity markets and public-listed companies to build strategic synergy. They deliberate exits by both M&A and IPO, taking into consideration both opportunities. Thus, they strive to build an ecosystem across various industries through investment in specific value-chains and providing value-added services that lead to synergetic exits. With a clear multi-industrial positioning backed by their professional and outstanding investment team, Glory Ventures has been highly recognized by Chinese first-class investors and has won the strategic investments of famous organization such as Banyan Capital, major shareholders from various A-share listed companies, founding team of Dianping.com, and many others, making it a top-tier investment ecosystem combining early-stage venture capital investment and the integration of high-end entrepreneurs and industrial resources. Currently, Glory Ventures invests actively in Israel and China, but their global vision encompasses much more. In Israel, Glory Ventures invests in customer-proved, disruptive innovative companies which are synergistic with China’s enormous consumer market, including companies in the field of intelligent hardware, IoT, AI, computer vision. In China, Glory Ventures invests in subsectors such as B2B enterprise service, consumption upgrade, and IoT. Their portfolio includes 20+ stellar companies in the fields of AI, IoT, Fintech and consumption upgrade, over half of which have won the follow-up investment from the industrial capital and famous funds like HTC, Quanta Computer, Alibaba, Shanda Networks, Wind, Crystal Optoelectronics, Join-In Group, and Fortune Capital.

## BECO Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: E-Commerce, Financial Services, Information Technology

BECO Capital provides growth capital and hands-on operational support for early-stage technology companies. It is a technology-focused venture capital that supports entrepreneurs and financial sectors to raise funds.The company helps small companies with growth capital and hands-on operational mentorship in their early stage of development. Itwas founded in 2012 and is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.BECO Capital was founded on February 1, 2014, by Dany Farha and Amir Farha, and it is headquartered in Dubai.

## Ali Rıza Babaoğlan
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tallinn, Harjumaa, Estonia
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed
- Focus: TV, CRM, Apps

I am a business professional since 2008 and a financial investor since 2015, having strategic positions in several scale-up tech companies/startups and real-estate assets. I continue to invest in the tech domain with a focus on SaaS solutions for B2B and B2C markets, and real estate options in developing markets with ROI targets.Grow inEMEA, the company I started in 2015, focuses on East Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East markets mostly for tech and real estate options and portfolio management. Also, my team provides market access services to Baltics, Turkey, and UAE / Saudi and gives investment advisory services.Prior to the investment focus, I worked in Linkedin EMEA Headquarter where I hold Director of Turkish Speaking Territory in Dublin, Ireland. Before, I have been with SAP AG and IBM in Turkey. I also give speeches at local and global investment events. I gave keynotes on ARAB NET in Lebanon, IT Arena in Ukraine, Rise Up Summit in Egypt, and NEXT in Germany. I also spoke at several closed corporate events of Roche, VESTEL, SAP AG, DenizBank, Turkish Economy Ministry, Turkish Exporters Assembly, Bakioğlu Holding, and AGT.Now, I am living in Tallinn, Estonia.Email: alib@growinemea.com
Web: https://alibabaoglan.com
Photos: https://gie.investments/my-photos

## Moshe Gaon
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Convertible Note
- Focus: Advertising, Association, Social Media Marketing

Business entrepreneur and investor in startups. For the past 20 years developer of new initiatives and ideas. CEO, Chairman of companies, political strategist and advertising expert. Lead public opinion campaigns for people and issues from breast cancer, to national elections to the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Founding Partner atmybulb.vcOwner of the Gaon Holding Group; Executive Director in the group's companies, focusing on development and marketing products and services for the global Water Smart Grid. Member of the AquaAgro Fund Investment committee, a 50 Million dollar Israeli Venture Capital Fund, focused only on developing innovative water and agriculture technologies, as well as other innovative clean technologies.

## Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen
- Type: Angel
- Location: London, England, United Kingdom
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B
- Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning

Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen is a Co-Founder & serves as a Partner at 2xN. Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen was General Partner at Balderton Capital in London from 2015-2021 through four funds. He joined after spending a decade in Silicon Valley where he was with Uber and Dropbox.Since 2012 his venture track record includes two IPOs (Uber, Dropbox) and 11acquisitions.Lars joined Balderton from Uber which he joined when the company was operating in less than 20 cities. His role as Vice-President resulted in strategic alliances. Lars joined Uber from Dropbox as one of the company’s first 25 employees. As Head of Mobile, his growth deals with Samsung and other mobile OEMs helped Dropbox reach its first 100 million users. Prior to that Lars held positions at Voicesignal (acq. Nuance), Skyhook Wireless (acq. TruePosition), Ness Technologies (acq. Opentable), 3Jam (acq. Skype) and T9 Tegic (acq. AOL). More than a billion people have used the software and services distributed as a result of mobile growth partnerships led by Lars.His venture investments include Voi (Raine), Labster (A16Z), Hiya (Ericsson), Cambridge Quantum Computing (HON), Hopin (A16Z), Opensea (A16Z), Yassir (YC), Beacon (Eric Schmidt), The org (Sequoia), Octant (A16Z), Zycada (Khosla), Monarch Money (Accel) and Kukua (Tencent), Dubsmash (acq. Reddit), Tempow (acq. Google), Rahko (acq. Odyssey Therapeutics), Pocket (acq. Mozilla), Blue Bottle (acq. Nestle), Marble (acq. Caterpillar).Lars, who is Danish-Portuguese, grew up across Africa and served with the Royal Danish Guards. He holds a MBA from London Business School, where he also serves on the Board of Trustees, an MSc from Oxford University Keble College and a BSc from King’s College, London. He lives in London with his wife and three children.

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