Ofir-SouthUp Ventures aims to grow Western Negev tech hub
Ofir-SouthUp Ventures is preparing to make its first investments as it continues raising capital to support technology companies operating in or relocating to Israel’s Western Negev.
The fund is expected to reach approximately USD 20 million to USD 30 million, with investors including Kibbutzim Kfar Aza, Yakum, and Ma’agan Michael; entrepreneurs Dov Moran, Shlomo Kramer, Yehudit and Yehuda Bronicki; the Zim investment fund; the Jewish Community Foundation San Diego; and other private investors from Israel and abroad.
The fund was established as the investment arm of the SouthUp incubator, which has operated in Sha’ar HaNegev since 2017 and has supported more than 70 startups. Even before completing its first closing, the fund invested in ZutaCore, a Sha’ar HaNegev-based company developing advanced cooling systems for AI chips in server farms and data centers. Its broader goal is to help turn the Western Negev into a durable technology ecosystem, bringing capital, high-productivity jobs, and startup activity to a region heavily impacted by the war.
SouthUp currently has 27 startups operating in its framework, and the region is also preparing to open OfirTech Park, a 3,000-square-meter technology hub in Sha’ar HaNegev expected to launch in the first quarter of 2027.
Read more in Calcalist.
