A group of predominantly U.S. investors have signed on to a statement in support of Israel and its tech community.The open letter published on Thursday is the latest effort by startup investors to provide support for the state of Israel and its tech community, with 221 firms signed on.
The joint statement comes amid a nearly weeklong stretch of historic violence that saw more than 1,200 Israelis killed in terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas, thousands of others displaced, and dozens The signatories are far from an exhaustive list of U.S. firms that spoke out publicly on the tragic recent events in Israel. Earlier this week, Insight Partnersto donate $1 million to humanitarian aid, while General Catalyst pledged $250,000 and the partners at First Round announced they had personally contributed $500,000, among others. Others set up public fundraisers, such as a page by Vine Ventures that had raised nearly $200,000 as Thursday, or co-hosted fundraising events.
The letter’s origins date to Monday night, when Harry Valner, cofounder of U.S. venture firm Seaside Ventures and an active participant in a WhatsApp group of several hundred Jewish venture capitalists, felt inspired to rally other investors behind a collective statement, he said in an interview from Los Angeles.