Yossi Vardi

An Israeli entrepreneur and angel investor known for his involvement in over 85 high-tech companies, including being the founding investor of ICQ.

Angel Investor Active Tel Aviv, Israel Est. 1942
Last updated 2026-07-20
Portfolio
4
in our dataset
Rounds participated
6
Rounds led
1
Rounds' value
$19.4M
total disclosed, rounds participated
Stages
A Round, Pre-Seed, Seed

About

Joseph "Yossi" Vardi is a prominent Israeli entrepreneur and investor, often referred to as one of the founding fathers of Israel's high-tech sector. Born in Tel Aviv in 1942, he co-founded, led, funded, and helped build more than 85 high-tech companies across diverse areas such as software, energy, internet, mobile, electro-optics, and water technology over a span of more than 47 years. He is most famous for being the founding investor of Mirabilis, the creator of ICQ, the first internet-wide instant messaging system, which was later acquired by AOL. Vardi also has extensive experience in the government and public sector, having served as Director General of the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Energy, and as Chairman of the Israel National Oil Company and Israel Chemicals. He holds a B.Sc., M.Sc., and D.Sc. from the Technion in Haifa.

Portfolio · 4

Similarweb
A global software development and data aggregation company specializing in mobile app and web analytics, web traffic, digital performance, and SEO tools.
Led ★ 3 rounds $18.6M committed Latest: 2014-11
HappySale
A New Way to Sell Things Online and Make Users Happy
1 round $100K committed Latest: 2013-03
Deeplink
Deep-linking Platform for Apps
1 round $750K committed Latest: 2008-01
DoNanza
Professional-Level Tools for Freelancers
1 round Latest: 2008-01

Investment activity

2 portfolio exits on record.

Portfolio by sector

Business Software6
Media & Entertainment Technologies1

Q&A

What is Yossi Vardi's primary investment focus by stage?
Yossi Vardi primarily invests in A Round, Pre-Seed, and Seed stage companies.
Which sectors does Yossi Vardi concentrate his investments in?
Yossi Vardi's portfolio shows a concentration in Business Software, with 6 companies, and Media & Entertainment Technologies, with 1 company.
Can you name some notable portfolio companies of Yossi Vardi?
Yossi Vardi's notable portfolio companies include Similarweb, a web analytics and competitive intelligence platform, and Overwolf, an in-game creators' guild.
Has Yossi Vardi had any significant exits recently?
Yes, Yossi Vardi had a significant exit in May 2021 when portfolio company Similarweb went public on the NYSE with a valuation of $1.65B.
What was Yossi Vardi's role in the founding of Mirabilis?
Yossi Vardi was the founding investor of Mirabilis in 1996, the company that created ICQ, the first Internet-wide Instant Messaging service.
What is Yossi Vardi's background in entrepreneurship?
Yossi Vardi is an early Israeli entrepreneur who co-founded, led, funded, and helped build more than 85 high-tech companies. He co-founded Tekem in 1969 and has been involved in diverse areas including software, energy, and the internet.
What is Yossi Vardi's current involvement in the tech ecosystem?
Yossi Vardi currently serves as a board observer at Wefi and is the chairman at 4YFN.
Full data — links, identifiers, deals & radar signals (jobs, patents, research, more)

Identifiers & details

Founded1942-9

Radar intelligence

Patents

EPO5