UpWest Labs

Shuly Galili and Gil Ben-Artzy are the co-founding managing partners and sole decision-makers on all investments. The firm operates a flat partnership model without junior investing partners making independent commitments. All check-writing authority resides with the two founders.

Yes — relocation to Palo Alto for a residency period is a condition of the firm's seed investment. The program, historically structured as an accelerator-like immersion, typically lasts several months to a year. Founders are expected to work from UpWest's offices and use the time to retool their US go-to-market, hire initial American sales staff, and build early customer relationships. This requirement is the core structural differentiator of the firm.

Most Israel-focused VCs invest from Tel Aviv or a US satellite office and leave founders in place. UpWest physically relocates founding teams to Palo Alto after investment and provides hands-on go-to-market rewiring — product positioning, sales motion design, and direct enterprise introductions — as a core part of the investment program. It functions as a bridge between Israeli R&D depth and US enterprise buyer behavior rather than a capital-only seed check.

UpWest targets pre-seed and seed-stage startups, typically as the first or second institutional check. The firm writes initial checks designed to fund US market entry. It does not participate in growth-stage rounds or fund-of-funds commitments, maintaining a disciplined early-stage focus across its entire portfolio.

UpWest concentrates on B2B enterprise software, with a particular focus on AI/ML applications, cybersecurity, digital health, fintech, and proptech. The firm avoids consumer internet, gaming, hardware-intensive companies, and semiconductor plays. Its mandate is narrowly defined around enterprise products that can be sold to US mid-market and large corporate buyers.