StageOne Ventures Closes $165M Fund V to Lead Israel's Next Generation of AI Infrastructure Companies
TL;DR
StageOne Ventures, one of Israel's most consistent early-stage VC firms, has closed its fifth fund at $165 million — pushing total assets under management above $650 million. Fund V will target pre-seed and seed-stage companies in AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, physical AI, agentic orchestration, and vertical AI. With 21 exits and a track record that includes acquisitions by JFrog, Check Point, and Cisco, StageOne is doubling down on Israel's position as a global force in AI-native infrastructure companies.
Key Takeaways
Israel's AI infrastructure edge is hardening. StageOne's thesis has always been that Israeli founders build unusually defensible technical companies, and Fund V sharpens that bet squarely on AI infrastructure — the unglamorous but high-margin layer that every enterprise AI stack requires. This isn't a narrative shift; it's a conviction deepening.
Five funds, $650M AUM, 21 exits — the track record speaks clearly. StageOne has backed 69 companies since its founding, with 21 exits and 29 active portfolio companies. Key exits — Epsagon to Cisco, Avanan to Check Point, Cyberint to Check Point — demonstrate a consistent ability to identify acquihire-worthy and mission-critical companies before they become obvious.
Agentic orchestration is the new battleground. The explicit inclusion of "agentic orchestration" in Fund V's mandate is a strong signal. Most early-stage funds are still chasing LLM wrappers; StageOne is betting on the orchestration layer that will be required to run multi-agent workflows in enterprise environments — a considerably harder and more durable category.
International LP backing signals institutional confidence. Fund V was backed by institutional and private investors from the US, Europe, and Israel. In the current LP environment — where many international LPs are pulling back from geopolitically sensitive markets — maintaining broad international participation is a meaningful achievement for an Israel-focused fund.
Fund Overview
Fund Name: StageOne Ventures Fund V
Fund Size: $165 million
Stage: Early-stage (pre-seed to seed, first-check)
Check Size: Not publicly disclosed
Geography: Israel-focused
Focus: AI Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Physical AI, Agentic Orchestration, Vertical AI
Key LPs: Institutional and private investors from US, Europe, and Israel (names undisclosed)
Why This Fund Matters
StageOne occupies a specific and valuable niche in the global VC ecosystem: they are the firm you want on your cap table when you are building something foundationally hard in Israel and need a partner who has seen what an exit to Cisco or Check Point looks like from the inside. With 21 exits across four prior funds, they have the pattern-recognition to identify which technical founders have the architectural discipline to build infrastructure that enterprise buyers actually pay for — and keep paying for.
The timing of Fund V is telling. Israel's tech ecosystem endured significant disruption in 2023 and 2024, with geopolitical risk spooking some international capital. The fact that StageOne closed $165M — larger than prior funds — and retained US and European LP support suggests institutional confidence that Israel's AI infrastructure output remains irreplaceable in the global supply chain of enterprise AI components. You cannot easily replicate the density of ex-IDF Unit 8200 engineers with deep systems and security expertise anywhere else.
The fund's explicit focus on physical AI is worth noting beyond the AI infrastructure headline. Physical AI — robotics, industrial automation, autonomous systems — is where the next decade of Israel's most defensible companies may emerge. StageOne's investment in this thesis positions them ahead of most US-based seed funds that remain overwhelmingly software-focused.
From an LP perspective, backing StageOne is a bet on a specific manufacturing process: rigorous technical diligence, patient company building, and a preference for acquihire-quality assets that generate M&A exits within 5-7 years rather than lottery-ticket outcomes. That profile is increasingly attractive to institutional LPs navigating a distribution-starved VC environment. Notable active portfolio companies include Coralogix and Silverfort, both of which represent the kind of enterprise-grade defensibility that characterizes StageOne's best investments.
The Team
Yuval Cohen co-founded StageOne and has served as Managing Partner across all five funds. His investment track record includes early bets on companies later acquired by IBM, Cisco, and Check Point — demonstrating a consistent ability to identify companies that solve problems large enterprise buyers are willing to pay to eliminate. Tal Slobodkin serves as Managing Partner alongside Cohen, with a background in identifying and supporting Israeli founders scaling globally. Netanel Meir rounds out the partnership as Partner, contributing to the firm's technical diligence capabilities particularly in AI and cybersecurity. The team's depth of experience with Israeli exit dynamics — who buys, at what price, and for what strategic reason — is a genuine competitive advantage in a market where buyer-seller relationships take years to cultivate.
Early Portfolio
StageOne has invested in 69 companies to date with 29 currently active. Notable current portfolio companies include Coralogix (log management and cloud observability) and Silverfort (unified identity security). Historical exits include Qwak (acquired by JFrog), Cyberint (acquired by Check Point), Epsagon (acquired by Cisco), Avanan (acquired by Check Point), Apprente (acquired by McDonald's), Traffix (acquired by F5), and Guardium (acquired by IBM). The pattern of exits to large US and Israeli enterprise technology acquirers reflects StageOne's deliberate positioning of portfolio companies as must-have infrastructure components rather than standalone businesses pursuing IPOs.
What This Means for Founders
If you are building an Israeli deep-tech company at the pre-seed or seed stage — particularly in AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, or physical AI — StageOne is one of the few funds with both the capital scale ($165M fund) and the exit network to be a genuine first-check partner. Their track record with M&A exits to Cisco, Check Point, and JFrog means they understand how to help founders build companies that are not just technically excellent but strategically acquirable. That is a different and often undervalued skill set in early-stage investors.
Founders building in the agentic orchestration and vertical AI categories should pay particular attention: Fund V's explicit mandate in these areas suggests StageOne will be actively prospecting for companies at the architecture layer of enterprise AI stacks, not just the application layer. If your product is infrastructure that AI workflows run on — rather than an AI-powered application — StageOne is likely to be a more informed and patient investor than generalist seed funds chasing the AI wave.
Fund Momentum Take
StageOne is one of those funds that doesn't generate hype but consistently generates returns. Five funds across more than two decades of Israeli venture, $650M+ in AUM, and a portfolio exit log that reads like a who's-who of enterprise technology acquirers. That is not luck; it is the product of a very specific investment methodology applied consistently. Fund V's thesis — AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, physical AI, agentic orchestration — is precisely the right bet for 2026. These are the categories where Israel's engineering density creates the most durable advantages, and where the exit market remains active regardless of public market sentiment.
Our one concern: as the fund grows, the ability to maintain the tight, operator-led conviction that characterizes StageOne's best bets becomes harder. Larger funds typically need more deals to deploy capital, which can dilute the selectivity that produces outsized returns. Watch whether Fund V's company count stays disciplined relative to the capital raised.
Net assessment: StageOne Fund V is the kind of quiet conviction fund that LPs should be allocating to, particularly those seeking non-correlated US tech exposure with genuine technical alpha. Israel's AI infrastructure pipeline is stronger than the geopolitical narrative suggests, and StageOne has the team and network to capture the best of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is StageOne Ventures?
StageOne Ventures is an Israeli early-stage venture capital firm founded by Yuval Cohen, focused on backing first-check investments in technology companies across AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, and deep tech. Fund V is their fifth fund, closing at $165 million.
How large is StageOne Ventures Fund V?
Fund V closed at $165 million, bringing StageOne's total assets under management to over $650 million across all funds.
What sectors does StageOne Ventures Fund V focus on?
Fund V targets AI infrastructure, cybersecurity, physical AI, agentic orchestration, and vertical AI — all areas where Israeli engineering talent has a demonstrated global advantage.
How many exits has StageOne had?
StageOne has completed 21 exits across its portfolio of 69 companies. Notable acquirers include JFrog, Check Point, Cisco, IBM, and McDonald's.
Who are the GPs at StageOne Ventures?
The investment team is led by Founder and Managing Partner Yuval Cohen, Managing Partner Tal Slobodkin, and Partner Netanel Meir.
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