UpWest

We’re proud of Eyal Feldman, Stampli CEO & Co-Founder, for being named #10 in Comparably’s list of Best SMB CEOs of 2024. Well deserved! 👏 https://lnkd.in/gD4KusHD

As we reflected on the past year and looked ahead to 2025, our team kept coming back to three specific insights. If you're starting a new venture in 2025, check out the lessons we believe every founder should know. And yes, AI made its way into this list… more than once :-) Read our thoughts here  👉 https://lnkd.in/gUsBNZsu

This month, we’re opening UpWest Office Hours with our investment team to help you tackle the big (and small) questions surrounding fundraising, US go-to-market, and anything else that comes to mind. Whether you’re already building your startup or still shaping an idea, we’re here to offer our insights & advice and help you move forward. Let’s make it happen >> Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gkBaVjg6 Gil Ben-Artzy | Shuly Galili | Lia Cromwell | Aya Neeman

We recently had the pleasure of hosting Professor Nadav Cohen, Co-Founder & CSO of our portfolio company Imubit and Research Director of Foundations of Deep Learning Lab at Tel Aviv University, in an engaging discussion about AI at our latest event in Tel Aviv. An expert in the field, Nadav shared his thoughts on the key AI challenges for early-stage founders: 👉 In using innovative tech to solve real-world problems, the industries that are toughest to enter are tough for everybody to enter - and that’s your advantage. The industries that will adopt AI the fastest will be the most crowded, and hardest to differentiate in. 👉 Saying “AI-powered” will soon mean the same thing as “technology-powered”, and attaching yourself to LLMs isn’t enough. Founders need to find their moat elsewhere. 👉 Data can be a powerful differentiator, especially if you’ve got data that isn’t accessible to the public or being used by big companies to train their models. 👉 In building an AI-centric company, it’s essential to bring in both an AI expert and an expert in your vertical. This way, you can outdo your competitors who don’t use AI as well as other tech players. 👉 Your early adopters don’t necessarily indicate how your market will react to your offering. Their innovation departments may be enthusiastic about your solution and insightful in their feedback, but they aren’t the buyer. You need to be deliberate with your sales process, understand the different stakeholders, and have an approach tailored to the decision-makers. 👉 Adoption is easier when you leverage AI to support people in having more time to handle their prioritized tasks, rather than replacing them. Thank you, Nadav Cohen, for sharing your insights, HSBC Innovation Banking for co-hosting this wonderful event, and to everyone who joined us. We’re looking forward to next time!

Check out Deeto's latest feature on Forbes highlighting how they turn customer satisfaction into powerful social proof to drive leads and close deals. And don’t miss Deeto’s newest release: Personal Microsites - a game-changing feature that helps companies showcase and automate personalized, customer-generated content. Read more 👉 https://bit.ly/493A3Yr Eran Baron | Golan Raz

Calling AI-focused early stage founders! Join us for an exclusive conversation with one of Israel’s top minds in machine learning. Professor Nadav Cohen’s name speaks for itself, but for those less familiar, he wears many hats: 👉 The Director of Tel Aviv University’s Deep Learning Lab 👉 A Google Doctoral Fellow in ML 👉 Was invited to interview Sam Altman during his famed Israel trip 👉 Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer of Imubit, an UpWest portfolio company Bringing his profound domain knowledge and expertise, Nadav will be joined by UpWest Founding Partner Shuly Galili, and her distinct Silicon Valley VC perspective, for an intimate fireside chat, co-hosted with HSBC Innovation Banking. 🗓When: December 5, 9:30am 📍Where: HSBC Offices, Tel Aviv Interested in joining? Spots are limited, so apply today! (Application closing on Monday, December 1) 📌 Link in the comments below 👇

Last week I had the privilege of taking part in a session on #AI and Investments hosted by Startup Nation Central and Startup for Startup. At UpWest, we've been bullish on the future of AI and where more Israeli founders are choosing to innovate.  Over the years we invested in the space, particularly in vertical AI in companies such as SentinelOne (Cyber), Stampli (Fintech) and Imubit (Industrial processing).   These companies put AI at their core and experienced exceptional growth and category leadership. 2025 will be a pivotal year for #GenAI adoption with 25% of enterprises using AI agents, growing to 50% by 2027 according to Deloitte. Speed matters!! Here is what startup founders should take into account: 📈 Evolving market dynamics in AI adoption. What verticals are more primed to integrate AI solutions and will spend real dollars in the process?. 🔍 Focus on specific use case and get as much feedback from early adopters. 💰 Small and medium organizations are more likely to adopt AI solutions. Especially if they can define cost efficiencies and productivity impact. ⚖ Don’t overlook potential regulations in the space. Thank you Michal Seror (Startup Nation Central), Arik Kol (NVIDIA, Lilach Danewitz (NTT Israel), Janina Lax (Google Israel), Darya Wertheim (Startup for Startup).

We’re honored to have collaborated with Next October, an important initiative dedicated to building a hope-filled future through innovation, in loving memory of those lost on 7/10. As part of this effort, we held office hours with over 25 startups, offering guidance and advice to help them achieve their goals.

Shout out to Zenity for being named a Top Infosec Innovator Winner by Cyber Defense Magazine! Well done for another outstanding achievement 👏🛡️ Ben Kliger | Michael Bargury