Gili Raanan

Angel Investor Active Mikhmoret, Israel
Visit website ↗ LinkedIn
Last updated 2026-06-18
Portfolio
2
in our dataset
Rounds participated
3
Rounds led
0
Rounds' value
$70.0M
total disclosed, rounds participated
Stages
Pre-Seed, Seed

About

Gili Raanan is a seasoned cybersecurity investor and the founder of Cyberstarts, a venture capital fund established in 2018 to support early-stage cyber innovators. With a portfolio that includes Wiz, Armis, Island, Fireblocks, and Cyera, Cyberstarts has become a key player in advancing the cybersecurity ecosystem.

Gili’s career began in Israel’s elite Unit 8200, where he served for a decade and received the Israel Defense Presidential Prize and the Innovation Award. An engineer by training, he is known for inventing CAPTCHA and co-developing the first web application firewall (WAF), and he holds more than 10 U.S. patents in cybersecurity and enterprise software.

After founding and exiting two enterprise software companies acquired by EMC and IBM, Gili joined Sequoia Capital in 2009. As a General Partner, he led investments in cybersecurity and infrastructure across Israel’s tech landscape for nearly a decade before launching Cyberstarts.

Under his leadership, Cyberstarts has raised over $720 million across five funds and invested in 28 companies now valued at a combined $55 billion. Gili Raanan remains actively involved in guiding founders and currently sits on the boards of 10 companies. He is based in Mikhmoret, Israel, and is also a minority owner of Hapoel Tel Aviv’s basketball team.

Portfolio · 2

Vega Security
Digital Protection & Security Solutions
2 rounds $65.0M committed Latest: 2025-03
Aporia
Full-stack Machine-learning Observability
1 round $5.0M committed Latest: 2021-04

Investment activity

1 portfolio exit on record.

Portfolio by sector

Cyber Security1
Business Software1

Q&A

What is Gili Raanan's primary investment focus?
Gili Raanan is a seasoned cybersecurity investor and the founder of Cyberstarts, a venture capital fund established in 2018 to support early-stage cyber innovators. His portfolio includes companies like Wiz and Armis
What is Gili Raanan's background before founding Cyberstarts?
Gili Raanan began his career in Israel’s elite Unit 8200, served for a decade, and received the Israel Defense Presidential Prize. He later joined Sequoia Capital in 2009 as a General Partner, leading investments in cybersecurity and infrastructure for nearly a decade before launching Cyberstarts.
How much capital has Cyberstarts raised under Gili Raanan's leadership?
Under Gili Raanan's leadership, Cyberstarts has raised over $720 million across five funds.
Can you name a recent exit for Gili Raanan?
In December 2024, Aporia, a portfolio company, was acquired by Coralogix for $50 million.
What are Gili Raanan's typical investment stages?
Gili Raanan primarily focuses on Pre-Seed and Seed stage investments.
What is a notable recent investment by Gili Raanan?
Gili Raanan invested in Vega Security, a digital protection and security solutions company, which raised $185M in its Series B round and was founded in 2023.
How many portfolio companies does Gili Raanan currently sit on the boards of?
Gili Raanan remains actively involved in guiding founders and currently sits on the boards of 10 companies.
What is Gili Raanan's investment range?
Gili Raanan's investment range is typically between $5M and $45M.
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