Cyberstarts

Cyberstarts is a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity-specialist VC, writing checks of $1M to $5M at seed and Series A. The firm has built its reputation on backing Israeli cybersecurity founders coming out of elite military and intelligence backgrounds, and it is widely recognized as one of the most successful seed-stage cyber funds globally. Healthcare investments are selective and oriented toward AI-driven enterprise defense and identity management products that protect highly regulated healthcare data networks rather than clinical or care-delivery companies.

The healthcare exposure sits within broader cybersecurity and enterprise security themes, focusing on health IT and healthcare software and AI and machine learning in healthcare where the company’s core thesis is cybersecurity for healthcare environments. That includes data protection, identity and access management for clinical systems, network security for hospital infrastructure, and AI-driven threat detection for healthcare data. The firm is not investing in clinical software, devices, or biotech, and founders in those areas should not pursue Cyberstarts. The cybersecurity lens is the only lens.

Check sizes of $1M to $5M place Cyberstarts as a leading or co-leading investor at seed and Series A. The geographic focus is Israel, with portfolio companies generally building toward US, European, and global enterprise markets. Founders should expect deep technical diligence, particularly on the cybersecurity foundations of the product and the founder’s experience in cyber operations or product development. The firm’s bias toward founders from elite Israeli military intelligence units is well-known and reflects a focus on technical authority over the relevant security domain.

The team includes investors with backgrounds in Israeli cybersecurity venture, operating roles at successful cyber companies, and connections to the Israeli cybersecurity ecosystem. That bench gives portfolio companies access to a network of customers, advisors, and follow-on investors specifically focused on enterprise security, including chief information security officers at major US enterprises, which is rare for any other type of fund.

Cyberstarts’ working style is hands-on and commercially aggressive. The firm has been known for actively driving early commercial traction for portfolio companies through its network of CISO advisors and enterprise customers, and it engages closely on go-to-market strategy and follow-on fundraising. Cyberstarts co-invests with leading US and Israeli enterprise-software VCs and has supported portfolio companies through subsequent rounds and exits. Founders building cybersecurity products that protect healthcare data and infrastructure, and who want a specialist cyber investor with an unusually deep enterprise customer network, will find Cyberstarts a serious option. Founders building clinical, device, or non-cyber healthcare products should focus their attention on healthcare-native firms.