What Awz Ventures Inc. does

Awz Ventures Inc. is a Canadian-Israeli venture capital firm founded in 2016 by Yaron Ashkenazi, headquartered in Toronto with operational offices in Tel Aviv and Jersey City. The firm manages over $500M across five funds (Awz Ventures I/II/III, Awz X-Seed, and the Awz Resilience Technology Fund) plus co-investment vehicles, investing exclusively in dual-use deep-tech companies at the intersection of commercial and defensive applications. Its portfolio spans cybersecurity (Pcysys, XM Cyber, NanoLock Security, Viisights), physical security and biometrics (Corsight AI, NanoPass Technologies), operational technology security, AI-driven enterprise solutions, quantum computing software, and emerging categories such as solar geoengineering (Stardust).

The firm's core offering is its "Active Capital" platform, which combines financial investment with hands-on operational support including technology mentorship, business development, client introductions, and M&A preparation. The Awz X-Seed Hub in Tel Aviv operates as a 12-24 month residency accelerator program providing design partners from Israeli intelligence agencies (Mossad, Shin Bet, IDF Unit 8200/81) and academia. A flagship strategic partnership with MAFAT (Israeli MOD's Directorate of Defense R&D) provides exclusive deal flow from the Israeli defense R&D ecosystem, anchored by a partner roster that includes former heads of Mossad, CIA, FBI, CSIS, Israeli Police, and former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Awz generates revenue through industry-standard venture capital economics: management fees on assets under management plus carried interest from successful portfolio exits. To date, the firm has invested in 35 portfolio companies and achieved 4 notable exits, including DeepCube (acquired by Nano Dimension), Assac Networks, Elsight, and XM Cyber. Capital is sourced from Canadian limited partners and strategic investors, with the firm explicitly limiting participation to accredited/qualified investors via fund partnership structures. The customer base comprises portfolio companies (across government/homeland security and enterprise/critical infrastructure verticals) and institutional limited partners.

Name

Awz Ventures Inc.

Legal name

Awz Ventures Inc.

Website

https://awzventures.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Awz Ventures Inc. is a Canadian-Israeli venture capital firm managing over $500M across five funds, investing in dual-use deep-tech companies in cybersecurity, homeland security, AI, and intelligence with a flagship MAFAT partnership providing exclusive Israeli defense R&D deal flow.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Deep-tech investing
• Cybersecurity investments
• Homeland security investments
• Early-stage funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Returns: Awz generates returns through management fees on funds under management and carried interest (performance fees) from successful portfolio company exits. The firm actively guides portfolio companies through their journey to commercial success and liquidity opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Awz Ventures is a venture capital firm that identifies and scales dual-use deep-tech startup companies from inception to commercialization. It invests across multiple funds spanning seed, early-stage, and early-growth stages into companies developing cybersecurity, AI, quantum computing, OT/IoT security, facial recognition, and defense/intelligence technologies. The firm provides hands-on "Active Capital" support including technology mentorship, business development, client introductions, fundraising preparation, and M&A advisory.

Product overview

Awz Ventures Inc. is a venture capital firm that operates multiple investment funds across different stages. The company offers five distinct funds: Awz X-Seed I (inception/pre-seed/seed stage, Vintage 2021), Awz Ventures I (seed/A stage, Vintage 2017), Awz Ventures II (seed/A/B stage, Vintage 2019), Awz Ventures III (A/B stage, Vintage 2022), and the Awz Resilience Technology Fund (A/B stage, Vintage 2024). The firm also operates the Awz X-Seed Hub, an accelerator program providing 12-24 month residency in Tel Aviv with comprehensive support. The Active Capital Platform represents the firm's hands-on approach to supporting portfolio companies through mentorship, business development, and strategic connections. The firm manages over $500M across 5 funds and has invested in 35 companies with 4 exits, focusing exclusively on commercial and defensive security and intelligence technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Awz X-Seed I Inception, pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital fund partnering with Israeli intelligence and security agencies, investing more capital than an accelerator with more active support than a seed-stage fund. Targeted at deep-tech and dual-use security technology startups.
• Awz Ventures I First Awz venture capital fund closed in 2017, making series seed and A investments in 8 highly-promising cyber security and intelligence technology companies.
• Awz Ventures II Second venture capital fund closed in 2019, fully deployed with series seed, A, and B investments in 11 innovative cyber security and intelligence technology companies.
• Awz Ventures III Early-growth fund (series A and B) launched in Israel, focused on companies with initial commercial success, lower risk, and shorter time to exit than a seed fund.
• Awz Resilience Technology Fund Identifies and evaluates pioneering early-growth companies, backing technologies that strengthen national resilience and independence through targeted investments in key assets and forward-thinking initiatives.
• Awz X-Seed Hub Early-stage technology fund providing 12-24-month residency in Tel Aviv with technology, financial, HR, business development, and marketing support. Companies receive mentorship from design partners in academia, Israeli intelligence agencies, and the commercial sector.
• Active Capital Platform Awz's hands-on investment support platform providing portfolio companies with mentorship in building product offerings, designing sales models, facilitating client introductions, strategic partnerships, preparing for fundraising and M&A, and connecting with VCs, PEs and multinational corporations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35 portfolio companies with AI-powered technologies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MAFAT (Israeli MOD's Directorate of Defense R&D)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Strategic partnership with MAFAT toward the launch of Awz X-Seed, a revolutionary early-stage technology fund. The partnership provides unparalleled deal flow stemming from Awz partners and advisors' ties to the Israeli security technology ecosystem, including collaboration with Israel's leading security agencies such as Mossad, Shin Bet, and elite technology units like 8200 and 81.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• YL Ventures: Israeli cybersecurity-focused early-stage VC firm investing in seed and Series A startups with roots in Israeli intelligence unit 8200. Highly comparable to Awz in vertical specialization, Israeli sourcing depth, and cybersecurity thesis.
• Team8: Israel-based cybersecurity venture builder and investor, founded by former 8200 leaders, that builds and backs enterprise security companies. Directly comparable as a sector-focused security investor leveraging Israeli defense-tech talent.
• Cyberstarts: Israeli cybersecurity-focused VC fund founded by CrowdStrike's founding CEO, investing in early-stage Israeli security startups. Comparable vertical focus and Israeli sourcing advantage.
• DataTribe: Cybersecurity-focused seed and Series A investor sourcing from intelligence community and government R&D. Comparable in its defense/intelligence ecosystem sourcing and dual-use thesis.
• Paladin Capital Group: Global multi-stage investor focused on cybersecurity, AI, and digital infrastructure resilience, with significant ties to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies. Comparable as a security-vertical specialist with government-linked deal flow.

Broad incumbents

• Insight Partners: Large-scale global software investor with a meaningful cybersecurity portfolio (and lead investor in Awz portfolio company Pcysys). Overlaps with Awz in later-stage cyber deals but is a much broader, generalist tech investor.
• Bessemer Venture Partners: Multi-stage venture firm with a long-standing cybersecurity portfolio and global reach. Overlaps in growth-stage security investments but is a broad tech investor rather than a security vertical specialist.
• Sequoia Capital: Premier global venture firm investing across stages and sectors, including a meaningful share of cybersecurity and defense-tech deals. Broader incumbent that occasionally competes for Awz's later-stage rounds.

Regional players

• Aleph VC: Israeli early-stage venture firm backing Israeli founders across software and cybersecurity. Comparable on Israeli sourcing depth and early-stage posture, though not security-vertical-focused.
• Hanaco Ventures: Israel- and New York-based venture firm investing across software, cybersecurity, and frontier tech with Israeli roots. Comparable as a cross-border Israeli tech investor (notably employing Awz VP Daniel Kedem prior to Awz).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments7 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Awz Ventures Inc.