For a group of Australian venture capitalists, Israel’s next major investment opportunity may lie beyond its traditional strengths in cyber and defense. They are betting that Israeli climate, energy transition and agritech companies could become the next big thing for Australian investors and potentially for the continent itself.
Next76 is a co-venture between Bandera Capital and Foxglove Capital. It was established two years ago to focus exclusively on Israeli companies. According to David Solsky, an operating partner at Bandera, Israel’s performance in recent years has reinforced the case for investing in the country.
“Despite the war and some of the challenges that Israelis face, the economy has continued to be strong. That Israel is the Start-Up Nation and the Scale-Up Nation keeps getting validated even over the past few years,” Solsky said.
Solsky told The Jerusalem Post that, from a Jewish perspective, there was a general consensus among Australian Jews after October 7 that there was a greater need than ever to support Israel. Many people became involved in philanthropic projects, such as rebuilding communities in the South or advocating for Israel as antisemitism continued to rise.
“We started to look at how we could ultimately invest in Israel, and we think climate and energy transition are particularly relevant verticals,” Solsky explained. “It is a relatively small market compared to cyber, defense and some of the other traditional verticals. But we have expertise in this area and … we figured if we made investments in this area, we could keep them moving forward.”
Solsky said that while the venture capitalists who manage the fund continue to invest in Australia and the United States, among other places, they are also looking more broadly at Israel because “Israel’s got amazing innovation… We have found what we think are some great companies.”
Another question is whether Australians are willing to embrace Israeli companies at a time of heightened tensions surrounding Israel. After the Bondi Beach massacre, many local Jews say they feel uncomfortable in their own country. At the same time, Israeli companies may wonder whether Australia is the right place to do business. Solsky argues that the political and social noise does not tell the whole story.
“I think what you’re seeing is a lot of noise from a relatively small part of Australian society, and there are a lot of companies and individuals and investors that have been to Israel or who get the Israeli startup nation story, and I think will come along on this investment journey,” Solsky said.
The first-ever Jerusalem Post Australia Summit, to be held November 19 in Sydney, could provide an opportunity for Israeli companies to explore those possibilities and meet investors interested in Israeli innovation. The day-long event will kick-off with a gala evening and end with an informal cocktail reception where companies and investors can meet and mingle.
“I believe Australia is a market that is very conducive and open-minded to doing business with Jews,” Solsky said, noting that with around 110,000 Jews in the country, Australia has a small but very strong community that is “deeply entrenched in all aspects of corporate and professional life.”
Solsky added that, “It’s an affluent community with significant investment potential.”
Solsky said Australia itself offers advantages for Israeli companies looking to expand internationally. He described the country as a potential stepping-stone for companies eventually seeking to enter the US market, while its strong focus on energy, climate, food and agritech closely matches areas in which Israeli innovation is growing.
“Agritech has a big role in biofuels and the emerging low-carbon liquid fuel sector,” Solsky added. “I think those kinds of companies would be interesting for Australians to explore.”
For more information about The Jerusalem Post Australia Summit visit www.jpost.com/australia2026. For partnership opportunities, email conferencep@jpost.com.