We are TAU Ventures

The first university-based venture capital fund in Israel

At TAU Ventures we break new ground. We believe that it takes more than capital for a startup to thrive. It demands more than the brightest brains. Goes beyond having awesome technology. That’s why we provide a supportive home-base for our founders at the beginning of their journey.

Our Investment Strategy

Our unique investment approach infuses the first capital of up to $1M, giving companies a strong launchpad to kick-off their journey. We look for strong teams and groundbreaking technologies. In our opinion, product is overrated — it will likely change along the way. Ultimately, we want to work with good people.

Our Value-Add

Our founders are warriors. They are people who have the guts and stamina to build and scale a global company. They take risks and move quickly. Together, with our world-leading team of experienced mentors and industry partners, we empower startups in their critical early steps.

At our 1000 sq meter co-working office space located in Tel Aviv, we work shoulder to shoulder with our startups and founders, nurturing their growth and cultivating the strength of our home-grown ecosystem on a daily basis.

As a fund that provides more than just capital, we see our founders’ well-being and professional development as a top priority. We do this by building peer support platforms – including exclusive & discrete forums for our founders, focused on problem-solving and mutual accountability; and GROW, our in-house leadership program, set to empower and support first-time managers in the fund’s portfolio companies.

Tel Aviv University

With the TAU brand and resources, we open doors to an array of opportunities for our portfolio companies around the world, including access to world-class knowledge, hiring opportunities, and connections.

Climate & ESG

As part of our investment thesis at TAU Ventures, we consider Climate and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors that can lead to outstanding business outcomes.

We believe ESG integration is essential for building successful companies. We invest in companies reflecting cutting-edge innovation; thus, their technologies, services, and products can have an enduring impact on our efforts to solve global challenges. We aim to mainstream basic ESG practices across our portfolio, just as in other areas of capacity building.

To date, we have invested in four companies that drive impact across these critical aspects. We will continue to employ the ESG lens as we promote the growth of mission-driven companies.

Things We Are Not

We are not into long, draining investment processes. We like to keep it short and simple with minimum bureaucracy.
We are not an accelerator. Alongside our VC activity, we operate an accelerator in partnership with the Israel Security Agency to provide a technological sandbox for dual use startups.
We are not Tech Transfer, so there are no IP issues to consider.

The Xcelerator was founded in 2018 by TAU Ventures and the Israeli Security Agency (Shabak), one of the leading, technological & operational organizations in Israel and worldwide.
The program is designed for outstanding teams developing a unique technology that may have a multi use application, that are seeking to gain traction at an early stage via an exclusive POC-oriented program. Contrary to the initial instinct, this is a program designed for civilian and commercial companies in various verticals (not just Homeland security), that can benefit from various tech experts, unique databases, technology validation, and more.

In addition to an exclusive opportunity for validation and POC with the Shabak, the 4-month program offers $50K grant (no equity), alongside tailor-made business support from TAU Ventures team, access to industry experts and mentors, various networking opportunities, cloud credits, and free office space at the TAU Ventures 1,000m co-working space.

Recombinate was founded by TAU Ventures and AB-InBev, the world’s largest brewer. The program is designed to de-risk many of the failure points of venture development, Both from the perspective of the client (MNC), and from the perspective of the startup; As part of the program, up to 6 startups will be selected to embark on a joint R&D and/or pilot activity with AB-InBev. Both joint R&D and piloting activities will be entitled to funding from the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA).

The program aims to produce innovative solutions for AB-InBev’s business needs, based on participating startups’ proprietary technology, focusing on a multi use approach enabling companies to explore further use cases than the ones they are already targeting. Potential outcomes include procurement, the forming of a joint venture, a co-selling agreement, or a form of technology licensing with AB-InBev.

Participating startups will be selected by project champions from within AB-InBev, who will closely work with the startups and have a vested interest in their success. As part of the program, companies will receive curated support from TAU Ventures global ecosystem, including industry & academia experts and service providers, and will work closely with AB-InBev’s champions.