TL:DR
We have officially transitioned from the accelerator model to an individualized investment approach backing pre-seed and seed stage companies. Still at our core are the long-term partnership, hands-on approach, and value-add we provide to our US-bound founders.
Why We Are Evolving (And What We Learned)
When we started UpWest back in 2012, we did not look to build another VC fund. Rather, we built UpWest as a platform to find the best ways to help amazing Israeli entrepreneurs break into the US market and move fast in getting proof and validation for their technology. The number one pain point for Israeli entrepreneurs has never been access to money, but access to their real market.
Eight years and more than 80 companies later, we’ve proven that our model works. Our companies have raised $1B in follow-on financing, with marquee companies such as SentinelOne, HoneyBook and many others emerging as category leaders. Now it’s time for the next evolution of UpWest.
The main difference is that we no longer open fixed cohorts throughout the year, but rather invest in startups year-round. Accelerator programs have a perceived “end date” — i.e. you work within the program for three months, often culminating in a demo day, and then graduate from the program. Though this is an effective way to invest in a large number of startups each year, this model is too confining for what we aim to do today: leverage our platform to help our startups hit the ground running in the US, provide longer term support and invest in multiple follow-on rounds of our portfolio companies. More importantly, this change came from our founders, who looked for us to continue engaging with them in the long term; not just within the confines of a “program.” After all, a few short months is just not enough time to really take off.
What Stays the Same
Everything else! Our conviction in our approach is stronger than ever, and we remain focused on leading investments in early stage startups. Furthermore, we remain focused on Israeli founders who are committed to spending meaningful time in the US, ultimately establishing their operational HQ in the States.
Founders in our portfolio come to UpWest not just for the check we give them, but for the expertise and proximity of our carefully-curated support network that includes a diverse group of founders, executives, domain experts, angels and institutional investors. We’ve demonstrated that we provide substantial value to pre-series A companies across domains, including connecting companies to major corporates and top tier investors.
We believe that our community — the largest Israeli founder network in the US — and the value it provides, are critical for our startups’ success . All UpWest companies have access to everyone in the community and are able to take advantage of the network of experts, trainings, and events that we provide on a regular basis. Our founder and advisor networks provide 1-on-1 CEO mentorship and support on developing business strategy, customer relationships, sales training, go-to-market strategy, fundraising and hiring. In particular, there are many unique learnings that are shared among our founders, such as how to effectively scale Israeli R&D centers while building the business headquarters in the US.
Why This Matters to You, the Founder
With this individualized approach, we have customized our investment to maximize what we can achieve together with our founders.
We are huge advocates of capital efficiency. Whether you are a Pre-Seed company with a great idea and focused on finding customers to validate your vision, or a Seed company with an early product and focused on gaining early momentum, we will align our capital commitment accordingly and invest the right amount at the right time.
Regardless of our investment size, we will continue doing what we do best: helping incredible Israeli founders break or expand into the US market, while providing ongoing mentorship to tackle market penetration, customer development, and access to top partners and investors.
Ready to talk? Email any of us directly, or info@upwest.vc
