Key1 Capital
Growth equityHerzliya · Growth · 16 people tracked
Investment thesis
Key1 Capital targets exceptional growth-stage technology businesses with strong technical foundations and competitive advantages, primarily in AI infrastructure, mission-critical software, and defense. The firm seeks visionary founders with ambitious goals and values-driven leadership, providing capital and strategic support alongside global networking and guidance on organic and inorganic growth strategies to facilitate successful exits.
Source: firm website, verified Jul 21, 2026.
Team · 16 people
from the firm's websiteSpent 17 years in leadership roles at Goldman Sachs across London and Tel Aviv offices, including Head of Consumer and Retail for EMEA's Cross Markets Group. Served as Squadron Deputy Commander in the Israeli Air Force from 1993 to 2004, retiring as a Major. Co-founded Key1 Capital to guide startups through growth trajectories as a true partner.
Spent 10 years at Goldman Sachs Tel Aviv office leading TMT investment banking and advisory work, after prior roles at JPMorgan and Credit Suisse in NY's Financial Institutions Group. Professional athlete background shaped approach to growth investing. Co-founded Key1 Capital with focus on identifying founders with confidence, humility, and disruptive adoption signals.
Spent two decades at Goldman Sachs Finance Group in New York starting in 2001, then relocated to Tel Aviv in 2007 to build the Israel office, managing investment banking, securities, and asset management. Later served as CEO of Goldman Sachs Israel and Head of Growth Markets team in London managing regional teams across CEEMEA. Co-founded Key1 Capital.
Holds a bachelor's degree in Statistics and Economics from Tel Aviv University and a Master of Financial Mathematics from MIT. Worked as a Business Management Consultant at BCG in Tel Aviv and as an Investment Banker at JP Morgan in New York. Evaluates companies based on strong leadership, differentiated solutions, and founder transparency.
Major General (Retired) and former Commander of the Israeli Air Force from 2017 to 2022. Brings strategic and operational experience in aerospace technologies across commercial and defense domains spanning four decades of military career. Currently Managing Partner at ACE, an early-stage defense tech investment firm partnered with Key1, and Co-founder and Chairman of Aerospace Spirit.
Serial CEO with over 18 years of senior leadership experience in Israeli and international technology companies. Former Senior Vice President and General Manager at VMware and HP, former Senior Vice President of R&D at Mercury Interactive, and former CEO and Board Chairman of Clarizen. Expertise spans infrastructure and enterprise software, storage, and cybersecurity.
Brings over 35 years of Wall Street expertise including roles as Board Member and former Financial Institutions M&A leader at Bear Stearns, JP Morgan, and Lehman Brothers. Co-founder and former Chairman of FIRE Capital Funds and former senior advisor to Credit Suisse. Offers insights into business model design, entrepreneurship, and risk management with focus on fintech landscape.
Former EVP of Corporate Development and marketing at NICE Systems, leading close to 50 M&A transactions. Previously held strategic corporate development and product roles at Mercury and Tower Semiconductor, and was a co-founder of digiGroups. Holds a doctorate from Stanford Business School and a BSc from Technion. Currently CSO of Next Insurance.
Brings over 20 years of experience leading technology investments and mentoring entrepreneurs in infrastructure software, application software, and consumer technology. Previously served as General Partner at Battery Ventures before that role was preceded by entrepreneurial experience. Offers founders a comprehensive perspective spanning the entire entrepreneurial journey.
Former Head of the Israeli Air Force Technology Sector with 28-year military career culminating in Brigadier General rank. Seasoned expert in translating military innovations into commercial solutions across aerospace and defense. Currently Managing Partner at ACE, early-stage defense tech investment firm partnered with Key1, and Co-founder and CEO of Aerospace Spirit.
Spent 15 years at EY as Managing Director managing over 15 accountants and providing audit, tax, and consulting services for private equity and real estate funds. Worked with some of Israel's largest VC funds and technology companies. Leverages extensive experience and network to support Key1 fund and portfolio companies.
Started in finance at Wells Fargo after graduating from USC with a business and finance degree. Invested across private markets at a global family office and Brookfield in New York before relocating to Israel three years ago and joining KDT, the venture capital subsidiary of Koch Industries, focusing on growth-stage technology investing. Values rigor paired with real partnership.
Completed degrees in Law and Accounting from Tel Aviv University, followed by nearly three years as an M&A Investment Banker at Rothschild & Co. participating in cross-border transactions. Transitioned to growth investing focused on supporting entrepreneurs ready to scale and contributing to Israel's tech ecosystem evolution.
Holds a BA in Business Administration from Colorado Technical University. Previously held an Office Manager position in the Israeli Defense Force's elite Paratrooper unit. Brings over 20 years of office management experience working alongside business leaders, focused on supporting stakeholders and fostering loyalty within the fund.
Completed undergraduate studies in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Technion, then served in Israel's Ministry of Defense honing R&D skills. Pursued an MBA and ongoing bachelor's in Computer Science at Tel Aviv University. Worked as an investment analyst at Lucid Capital, a Tel Aviv-based hedge fund, before joining Key1.
What they invest in
from 4 of 16 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×4Cloud Computing ×3Cybersecurity ×2Data & Infrastructure ×2Enterprise Software ×1Fintech ×1
Investments · 16 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathCloud-native SaaS platform for investment management and fund administration powered by AI.
FundGuard provides a cloud-native, AI-enabled platform that unifies record-keeping across public and private asset classes, jurisdictions, and investment products in real time for asset managers and administrators.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingFintech
Sentra provides data governance and visibility solutions that help enterprises understand and control what data their AI systems can access and potentially expose.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Sweet Security is a runtime security platform that detects and blocks threats as they happen across cloud workloads and AI agents, using a Learning Loop™ that continuously evolves defenses against zero-day threats.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingCybersecurity
WEKA develops a high-performance data infrastructure platform designed for AI and HPC workloads, offering storage and compute management across edge, core, and cloud environments. The company's NeuralMesh architecture enables organizations to build AI systems that interconnect data, compute, and services with adaptive infrastructure.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & Infrastructure
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Key1 Capital invest at?
- Key1 Capital invests at the Growth stage.
- What sectors does Key1 Capital focus on?
- Key1 Capital focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Defense Tech, Enterprise Software.
- Where is Key1 Capital located?
- Key1 Capital is headquartered in Herzliya, IL.
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