# UpWest

> UpWest is a VC fund in Palo Alto backing Software and Mobile. See 125 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Palo Alto, United States
- Total investments: 125
- Last investment: Jul 2026
- Lead investor: 6%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/upwest-vc/
- X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/upwestvc
- Website: http://www.upwest.vc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UpWest.vc

UpWest is a Silicon Valley-based seed fund investing in Israel’s most promising entrepreneurs. UpWest is focused on a hands-on approach to supercharge the growth of its startups, providing the essential ingredients for success: seed funding, proximity and access to markets and capital, and a supportive community of talented peers. For moreinformation, visit upwest.vc.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for UpWest. Shizune tracks 9 team members at UpWest. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-team-emails/upwest-labs?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Software | 28 | 22% |
| Mobile | 13 | 10% |
| SaaS | 11 | 9% |
| Information Technology | 10 | 8% |
| Artificial Intelligence | 10 | 8% |

154 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 69 | 55% |
| Series A | 23 | 18% |
| Pre-Seed | 7 | 6% |
| Series B | 6 | 5% |
| Funding Round | 5 | 4% |

10 stages tracked in total.

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | 66 | 53% |
| Israel | 14 | 11% |
| Brazil | 1 | 1% |

## Team

| Name | Title | Investments | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Alex Sirota | Mentor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alex-sirota |
| Don Loeb | Mentor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/don-loeb |
| Gil Ben-Artzy | Founding Partner | 6 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/gil-ben-artzy |
| Guy Hirsch | Mentor | 0 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/guy-hirsch |
| Jeff Tannenbaum | Mentor | 1 | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jeff-tannenbaum |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Elio Labs | Elio Labs develops an optical computing technology to improve sensing capabilities across diverse cellular environments. | $21M | Series A | Jul 23, 2026 |  |
| Raven.io | Raven.io provides a runtime application protection platform that secures cloud‑native software by monitoring code execution behavior and preventing exploits as they occur. Its technology operates inside applications to detect abnormal execution patterns and block malicious code before it runs, addressing traditional security gaps that reactivetools often miss. The platform includes features for runtime vulnerability prioritization, runtime patching that doesn’t require source code changes, and anomaly detection and response to surface and respond to threats in real time. Raven.io’s solution supports a range of programming languages and cloud deployments, allowing security and engineering teams to apply security controls across containers, Kubernetes environments, and compute instances. The company’s tooling also provides forensic data on suspicious activity, helping users understand the context of attempted attacks and make informed decisions about remediation. Raven.io integrates with existing development and operations workflows to extend application protection throughout the software lifecycle. Its approach centers on continuous observation of library behavior and execution flow rather than relying on signature‑based or external perimeter defenses. Raven.io’s platform is designed for environments where visibility into runtime behavior and real‑time threat mitigation are essential for securing applications against evolving exploit techniques. | $20M | Seed | Mar 18, 2026 |  |
| Darwin AI | GenAI Adoption and GRC platform for state and local government agencies. | $15M | Series A | Oct 23, 2025 |  |
| Deeto | Deeto provides an AI‑driven customer activation platform that automates sourcing, sharing customer testimonials, and reference engagement. | $12.5M | Series A | Jul 01, 2025 |  |
| TrialKit | TrialKit is a SAAS company that offers a platform for legal professionals to manage discovery data. | $4.3M | Seed | Apr 02, 2025 |  |
| Darwin AI | GenAI Adoption and GRC platform for state and local government agencies. | $5M | Seed | Mar 12, 2025 |  |
| PerfectScale | PerfectScale is a team of innovative and passionate DevOps experts, product leaders and software engineers on a mission to make it easy for organizations of any size to optimize their Kubernetes ecosystem continuously.Our solutions empower teams to make quick, data-driven decisions that continuously improve Kubernetes performance and availabilitywhile bringing down costs.Visit our website and start your free 30-day trial today! | $7.1M | Seed | Oct 02, 2023 |  |
| Zenity | Zenity is the first and only governance and security platform for low-code/no-code applications. It creates a win-win environment where IT and information security can give business and pro developers the independence they want to move the business forward while retaining full visibility and control. | $16.5M | Series A | Sep 12, 2023 |  |
| Unity SCM | Streamlining supply chain operations | $8M | Series A | May 09, 2023 |  |
| BeeHero | BeeHero is a developer of a beehive technology platform intended to maximize crop yields through pollination. The company's technology uses artificial intelligence with low-cost sensors to collect in-hive data and to stimulate full output potential during peak pollination cycles, enabling farmers to protect beehives from colony collapse andmaximize pollination efficiency for growers around the world.The company was founded in 2017 by Itai Kanot, Omer Davidi, and Yuval Regev, and operates out of Tel Aviv and Silicon Valley, employing 50 people, 30 of which in its Israeli R&D center. | $42M | Series B | Dec 01, 2022 |  |

10 of 125 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Lightspeed Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/lightspeed-venture-partners) — VC Fund, 13 deals together
- [Hillsven Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/hillsven-capital) — VC Fund, 11 deals together
- [Resolute Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/resolute-vc) — VC Fund, 6 deals together
- [Sorenson Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sorenson-capital) — VC Fund, 6 deals together
- [Accel](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/accel) — VC Fund, 5 deals together
- [iAngels](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/iangels) — VC Fund, 5 deals together

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## FAQ

### What does UpWest invest in?

UpWest invests primarily in Software, Mobile and SaaS startups, most often at Seed and Series A stage. Most of the 125 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact UpWest?

Public channels for UpWest include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and the website linked on this profile. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### Who are the partners at UpWest?

The team at UpWest includes Alex Sirota (Mentor), Don Loeb (Mentor) and Gil Ben-Artzy (Founding Partner), among 9 team members tracked by Shizune. The Team section lists each member with their title, investment count and links.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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