Southern Israel Bridging Fund

SIBF targets Israeli technology companies that have reached proof of first revenue but lack the resources to attract a Series A lead — what the firm calls the 'death valley' between seed and institutional round. Initial checks range from $3 million to $10 million, and the firm reserves capital for follow-on rounds after restructuring the business. The goal is to bridge the company to a validated next round before partially selling down to later-stage investors.

Managing Partner Or Ben Shoshan and General Partner Aviv Cohen lead sourcing and deal-making decisions, with Ben Shoshan having operated as a partner at Sherpa InnoVentures before co-founding SIBF. General Partner Boaz Or-Shraga oversees portfolio management and frequently serves as active chairman of portfolio companies such as Evrideo and Nucleon. Eli Ben Simon, the fourth general partner, brought corporate finance experience from Netafim's two major liquidity events with Permira and Orbia.

The firm’s website states that VCs, private equity funds and leading angels approach SIBF to evaluate and restructure their portfolio companies. SIBF runs an internal due-diligence process that examines management, finance, legal structure and go-to-market before committing capital, then embeds its own partners as operating chairs. Business development desks in the U.S., Latin America, Switzerland and Germany supplement Israeli-originated flow.

SIBF blurs both categories. It writes venture-scale checks but installs active chairmen, rebuilds sales operations and repositions go-to-market strategy before a portfolio company raises a Series A. Once external VCs validate the company’s readiness, SIBF selectively sells down its position — a gradual secondary approach that resembles a blend of growth capital and operational restructuring rather than a classic early-stage venture fund.

The firm’s website lists Agri-Tech, enterprise software, media, medical devices, health-tech, bio-tech, energy and artificial intelligence as its investment focus. Portfolio holdings also extend into cybersecurity (Nucleon), proptech (a company developing AI-based building systems), mobility (Gadfin’s drone delivery systems) and industrial technology (Shiratech’s predictive maintenance platform).

Available disclosures describe SIBF as making direct equity and quasi-equity investments into individual portfolio companies rather than committing to third-party funds. The firm’s model involves hands-on operational involvement inside each portfolio company, which suggests a direct-investment-only approach.

SIBF’s advisory board includes Dr. Esther Luzzatto, who chairs the Yachdav Foundation focused on strengthening the social fabric of Southern Israel and serves on the board of Ben Gurion University. The firm itself does not disclose a separate philanthropic foundation or operating entity.