About This Fund
Firstime Ventures Fund III — announced in November 2021 under the working title 'Firstime $100 million climate-tech fund' — is the third venture capital fund raised by Firstime Ventures, a Tel Aviv-based early-stage VC firm founded in 2014. Backed by investor Jonathan Kolber of Viola Investment Group, the fund reached its $100 million target and deployed capital across approximately 15 Israeli technology companies, making Firstime one of the few Israeli venture managers explicitly aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The fund's thesis spans two complementary verticals: climate technology and digital health. In climate tech, Firstime focuses on precision agriculture, water solutions, renewable energy, and sustainability-enabling software. In digital health, the fund backs innovations in chronic disease management and precision medicine. Inaugural investments included BeeHero (precision pollination intelligence for commercial agriculture) and Hygieia (AI-powered diabetes management platform), illustrating the portfolio's dual-focus approach united by impact potential. The fund invests at the pre-seed and seed stages in Israeli founders targeting global markets.
Fund III represents a meaningful step-up in size relative to Firstime's prior vehicles, reflecting both the maturation of the firm's brand and growing international LP interest in Israeli climate innovation. The fund is managed by co-founders Jonathan Benartzi and Nir Tarlovsky alongside partners Keren Kopilov and Itamar Weizman, who joined for Fund III's launch. Firstime Ventures has built a portfolio of Israeli startups across technology, digital health, and sustainability through three successive fund generations since its founding in 2014.