Jerusalem Global Ventures

Shlomo Kalish, founder and managing partner, runs investment decisions. Kalish holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a doctorate in operations research from MIT. He is a former Israeli Air Force fighter pilot. His investment committee structure is concentrated, typical of founder-led Israeli venture firms from the pre-2000 era.

JGV sources primarily through Shlomo Kalish's network of Israeli entrepreneurs, academic researchers at Hebrew University, and relationships with serial founders from prior portfolio companies. The firm's long tenure in Jerusalem provides access to talent from the city's research institutions. Kalish's involvement in Israel's early venture ecosystem — dating to the Yozma era — creates referral streams distinct from the competitive Tel Aviv-Herzliya corridor.

JGV targets early-stage and expansion-stage rounds, typically Series A and Series B, where the firm takes board seats and provides hands-on operational guidance. The firm's model has historically focused on Israeli companies with US go-to-market strategies. JGV is not a seed-stage investor and does not operate a dedicated late-stage vehicle.

JGV operates as a direct investor, making equity investments in portfolio companies. The firm does not publicly operate as a fund-of-funds or participate in other GPs' fund commitments. As a long-tenured Israeli venture manager, JGV has historically drawn its own limited partners from US institutional capital rather than deploying capital into third-party funds.

JGV typically leads or co-leads rounds in its portfolio companies rather than filling passive co-investment slots. The firm's concentrated decision-making structure under Kalish supports active board-level engagement. Public funding-round disclosures show JGV syndicating with US venture firms and strategic corporate investors when portfolio companies enter US commercialization phases.

JGV does not publicize an explicit avoidance list, but the firm's historic focus excludes consumer internet, digital media, and real estate technology. Portfolio concentration runs through enterprise software, semiconductors, digital health, and cybersecurity. The firm has not invested in web3, crypto, or consumer mobile applications based on its known portfolio history.

Shlomo Kalish co-founded the Israel Center for Excellence through Education, a nonprofit focused on advanced STEM education for Israeli students. This philanthropic entity is structurally separate from JGV's investment management operations. Kalish also holds board and advisory roles at Israeli academic institutions, though these are personal commitments and not consolidated under the JGV brand.