About This Fund
Firstime Ventures Fund III is the third venture capital fund of Firstime Ventures, an Israeli early-stage VC firm founded in 2014 by Jonathan Benartzi and Nir Tarlovsky. The fund was announced in November 2021 with a target capitalisation of $100 million, positioned as one of the only Israeli venture capital funds explicitly aligned with all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At announcement, the fund had secured $50 million in initial commitments, anchored by Jonathan Kolber of Viola Investment Group, one of Israel's most prominent technology investors.
Fund III focuses exclusively on Israeli-founded startups addressing climate change and global health challenges across seven defined verticals: AI for Renewable Energies, IoT and Data-Driven Agriculture, Food Security, Clean and Circular Economy, Energy and Environment, Net Zero Carbon, and Affordable and Accessible Digital Health. The fund extends Firstime's venture investing model to an impact-first mandate, complemented by Firstime Credit — a dedicated blended-finance arm designed to provide portfolio companies with growth capital alongside equity financing. Inaugural portfolio companies include BeeHero (precision agriculture hive monitoring) and Hygieia (diabetes management platform for uncontrolled patients).
Firstime's prior two funds deployed $150 million into more than 30 Israeli technology startups, establishing the firm's track record in early-stage Israeli venture investing. Fund III marks a deliberate shift toward impact-first investing, with climate tech and digital health as the defining theses. The fund was also referenced in the market as 'Firstime Ventures third fund', reflecting its position in the firm's fundraising sequence.