Bedrooms become bomb shelters as VCs do deals amid destruction
With colleagues on the frontline and international deals on the line, Israel-based VCs such as Ben Weiss are leading double lives, seeking safety while keeping working.
On Monday morning, venture capitalist Ben Weiss expected to be signing off on the final details of a deal to sell one of his start-up portfolio companies to a big European entity. Instead, he was running frequently to his spare bedroom bomb shelter with his wife and young daughters in tow, as rocket warning sirens blared across his home in Tel Aviv.
Weiss, the New Zealand-born, Sydney educated son of high-profile corporate raider Gary Weiss, has forged a successful VC career since moving to Israel in 2010, where his firm Alicorn manages over $250 million of assets from more than 100 family office investors from Australia, China, Europe, Asia and the US.
Paul SmithTechnology editorPaul Smith edits the technology coverage and has been a leading writer on the sector for 20 years. He covers big tech, business use of tech, the fast-growing Australian tech industry and start-ups, telecommunications and national innovation policy. Connect with Paul on Twitter. Email Paul at psmith@afr.com
