MizMaa Ventures

Co-Founders Yitz Applbaum and Catherine Leung lead the partnership alongside Partner Aaron Applbaum, who runs the Israel practice, and Operating Partner Rick Kaplan. The team draws on advisory board members such as ION Crossover Partners Managing Partner Gilad Shany for growth-stage perspective. Decisions are made by the partnership, with sector leads like Vice President Aviv Kerbel originating R&D, cloud, and cybersecurity deals.

The firm sources primarily through its founders' distinct networks: Yitz Applbaum's decades-long weekly travel to Israel and his role as a former Lightspeed partner, and Catherine Leung's access to Asian corporates seeking Israeli technology. Aaron Applbaum's government and cybersecurity background, combined with Rick Kaplan's IBM Israel tenure, gives the firm early visibility into enterprise and defense-adjacent spinouts before broader syndicates form.

MizMaa operates as a thesis-driven early-stage venture capital firm, not a family office. It raises external capital and invests on behalf of limited partners, though the firm has not disclosed its fund sizes or total assets under management. The principals do not manage a single family's wealth.

MizMaa invests at the seed and early stage, frequently as the first institutional check. The firm has led or participated in rounds from pre-revenue through growth extensions, as evidenced by its initial backing of Orca AI that preceded the company's $72.5 million Series B and its early position in Aurora Labs, which later raised approximately $100 million.

The firm invests where Israel has a demonstrated technological advantage, including cybersecurity, AI/ML, autonomous vehicles and maritime systems, enterprise software, digital health, and gaming/AR. It does not explicitly list excluded sectors, but its portfolio shows no exposure to traditional industrials, consumer packaged goods, or commodities.

Co-Founder Catherine Leung spent two decades as Vice Chairman of Asia Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan, giving the firm direct relationships with Greater China corporates, exchanges, and strategic acquirers. She has personally helped portfolio companies win initial Asian customers and navigate go-to-market strategy. The firm's advisory board also includes Sammy Hsieh, co-founder of Nasdaq-listed iClick, broadening its operating network across Southeast Asia.

The firm realized exits through the acquisition of Corephotonics by Samsung and Vayavision by Leddartech, both in the imaging and autonomous-vehicle perception sectors. Additionally, two cybersecurity portfolio companies — Protego Labs and Spectral — were acquired by Check Point.