Investing for Growth: What Today’s Investors Actually Look For 

A recent investor panel on Investing for Growth surfaced a shared understanding across investors. Capital is active, selective, and focused on execution. 

Across health tech, deep tech, and venture creation, speakers described a market shaped by evidence, delivery, and realism. The discussion offered a clear reset for founders navigating the 2025 funding environment. 

The data supports this shift. In 2025, Israel’s private tech sector raised an estimated $16.7B across 801 funding rounds. Total capital grew 24% year over year, while the number of rounds declined 11%. Median round size increased to $9.7M, showing capital concentrating around higher conviction opportunities. 

Evidence Is Back and It Matters 

Dr. Yael Nir framed the core question investors now ask: “Is what you’re building truly going to change anything?” 

In health tech, recent years have driven a return to fundamentals. The market went through what she described as a “detox”, a return to fundamentals where regulatory pathways, clinical evidence, or a credible roadmap to evidence determine investability. 

Investors described a funding environment that rewards proof points, validation planning, and practical milestones. 

Teams Still Win, With Specificity 

Team quality remained central to the discussion, with a sharper definition than in past cycles. 

Renana Ashkenazi of Grove Ventures noted that investors don’t just look for “great teams”, they look for complete, non-generic ones. Teams that make you scroll back up the slide because something feels different. 

Dr. Yael Nir added that strong teams must be paired with a deep understanding of unmet clinical or market needs, not just technical excellence. 

Dr. Yaron Daniely pushed this further: “Investors don’t care why you’re different, they care why you’re better […] It’s like a horse race. I don’t care what the horse looks like. I want to bet on the one that wins.” 

The Deck Is the First Investment Test 

Attention turned to a founder tool that often sets the tone early, the pitch deck. 

Ittai Harel emphasized that the deck functions as a filtering mechanism. It shapes who gets a meeting, how time is allocated, and whether momentum builds. 

Strong decks balance clarity and discipline: 

• Clear story 

• Realistic market framing 

• Credible team narrative 

• Enough data to build confidence 

A good deck advances a single objective: the next conversation. 

Smart Capital Is About Derisking 

Kerem Nevo offered a perspective from the government side of capital deployment. 

Public capital plays a role in reducing risk and enabling private participation, often by validating technology, anchoring rounds, or supporting early execution. 

Another signal investors highlighted is alignment. Who else is already in the round, and how engaged they are, matters. 

Calibration as a Market Signal 

Investors described the current environment as one that prices risk with precision. 

The ecosystem data reflects this calibration. In 2025, Israel recorded its highest M&A activity on record, with 157 transactions and $82.3B in disclosed deal value. Strategic buyers demonstrated strong demand for scale-ready companies and proven capabilities. 

Capital allocation has become clearer. Evidence, execution, and team completeness now define investability. 

Looking Ahead 

Dr. Yaron Daniely closed with a forward-looking observation: “Deal flow is back to hype era levels, but with better companies.” 

The panel discussion and the 2025 data point in the same direction. Growth is being built on execution readiness, disciplined capital, and companies designed to scale. 

Find Opportunities in the Israeli Ecosystem 

For investors looking to access this momentum, the Israeli tech ecosystem offers a deep pipeline of execution ready companies across health tech, deep tech, and scale up stages. Startup Nation Central connects global investors with curated opportunities, data driven insights, and direct access to founders building with discipline and ambition.

Visit the Investors page at Startup Nation Central to explore how to engage with the ecosystem and discover investment opportunities.