The Israel Resilience Fund that was launched in the middle of the war has announced its first close, with more than $13 million in capital commitments, as well as approval of its first investments.

The $50 million fund was established by the OurCrowd investing platform and aims to focus on some 50 startups either directly affected by the war or developing solutions related to it, for example in the fields of cybersecurity, emergency medicine, reconstruction and environmental impact.

Eight startups were selected to receive investments in December, half of which are not currently included in the OurCrowd portfolio. 

They include Verobotics, which has developed robots that can scale skyscrapers to clean and check for damage; Edgybees, which uses motion and satellite imagery to aid emergency response; EV battery thermal management systems startup Carrar, which had to relocate from its headquarters in Sderot, one of the southern Israeli communities hit in the October 7 attacks; and BlueTree from the northern town of Kiryat Shmona that has been evacuated during the war and which focuses on technology that reduces sugar in natural beverages.

“We’re thrilled to get this investment, especially as our technology has been so crucial for the Israeli Defence Forces’ operation,” says EdgyBees CEO Shay Har-Noy. “With many of our employees serving in the military reserves, this additional funding is a vote of confidence in our technology, team and efforts to support the war effort.”

“Many venture-backed companies in Israel are already struggling due to the global venture slowdown and now face even more serious obstacles due to the war in Gaza, requiring immediate, focused investment,” says OurCrowd founder and CEO Jon Medved.

“The Israel Resilience Fund will seek to create outsized returns for investors by taking advantage of discounted valuations in the current market, while supporting numerous Israeli companies to survive the crisis and flourish in the long run.”