Though it might be considerably small in size compared to other countries, Israel has been responsible for producing some of the world’s leading tech companies in recent years. For a country whose population is just under nine million, in 2020 alone, Israel produced 14 new unicorn companies. Entrepreneurs Arié Benguigui and Amir Weitmann launched their venture capital firm Champel Capital in 2017 and have since invested in twelve companies, some of them having become industry leading technology companies. One of these companies was Lemonade, a unicorn whose valuation is now above USD 9 Billion. Champel Capital also invested in Innoviz Technologies in 2019. Innoviz is going public through a SPAC soon at a valuation of USD 1.4 Billion.
Champel Capital goes through an extensive research and screening process before they select a company. Champel Capital targets deeptech companies with a significant impact on their industries, whereas the motto is “doing well by doing good”, and so far, so good: by any metrics available in the industry, Champel Capital’s results locate them in the top 5% of all funds in the industry, a good omen towards the launch of their next fund, this month. Champel Capital mostly targets companies that are valued at USD 50 – 250 million.
They differ from typical venture capital firms in the accessibility they offer to their investors. Champel Capital offers their LPs co-investment rights, but everybody can have access to “à la carte” deals where the investor can invest in companies on a deal-by-deal basis, of course with a different order of priority or pricing.
“With most funds, when people invest, they don’t have any real visibility or choice concerning the companies they invest in,” says Weitmann. “In that respect, Champel Capital is different.”
Champel Capital intends to capitalize on the opportunity of Israel’s position as a global leader in technology, as the country leads in different fields, such as Healthcare, Food tech and Agritech, artificial intelligence, IOD, Edtech, and other fields. And though they focus solely on investing in Israeli companies, Champel’s portfolio boasts investors from all over the world, giving them the access and opportunity to capitalize on up-and-coming Israeli companies that are positioned for success, thereby becoming the gateway to the Start-up Nation.
For more information on Champel Capital, visit their website or send Amir Weitmann an email at aweitmann@champelcapital.com.
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