Swish Ventures, an investment fund founded by legendary Israel basketball player Omri Caspi, who once captained Israel’s national basketball team and also played in the NBA, has secured $60 million in commitments from a diverse group of investors, including Sequoia Capital, Israeli and American institutional investors, and over 25 experienced entrepreneurs. Some notable investors include Ophir Ehrlich (EON), Gal Ben-David (PointFive), Amiram Shachar (Upwind), Asaf Ezra (formerly Granulate), and Yevgeny Dibrov and Nadir Izrael (Armis). With this new fund, Swish Ventures manages a total of $125 million in assets.
The fund plans to invest in around 10 startups, with individual deals ranging from $5 million to $7 million.
“Swish” is the term used for when a basketball goes straight through the net of the basket without touching the rim because this is like the sound that it makes when doing so.
Swish Ventures focuses on backing exceptional founders in their journey to build generational companies. The fund is backed by Sequoia, institutional investors from Israel and the U.S., and over 25 repeat founders.
Swish Ventures also announced that Dana Alexandrovich will join the firm as an Operating Partner. Previously, she served as COO of Microsoft Israel and led business planning and operations for 80 countries in the Middle East and Africa at Microsoft’s headquarters. Before that, she held the position of VP of Finance and Operations at Microsoft Israel.
Additionally, Ori Striechman has joined the investment team. He most recently served as the Research Department Vice President at Cyberillium and was a member of Israel’s youth national chess team.
Omri Casspi is a former Israeli professional basketball player who made history as the first Israeli player to be drafted in the first round of the NBA draft and the first Israeli to play in an NBA game.
After retiring from professional basketball, he transitioned to venture capital, founding Swish Ventures to invest in Israeli startups. Omri Casspi’s contributions to both Israeli and international basketball have left a lasting legacy. He is a role model for aspiring athletes and a symbol of Israeli success on the global stage.
