Keshet builds up media and tech investment fund with $65m

Israel-based Keshet Media Group’s investment fund Stardom Ventures has raised over US$65m aimed at growing local media and tech start-ups.

Danny Peled (photo: Ronen Akerman)

Founded with Dick Clark Productions in 2016, Stardom Ventures targets new companies in the areas of video, content, AdTech, MarTech and commerce.

In five years, the investment fund has secured 13 investments in seed and pre-seed rounds, while in the past year three of its start-ups have been acquired.

They include Warner Music-acquired MGN Media, which developed a platform for Gen-Z trend-spotting and viral content creation, and Uponit, a technological solution for adblockers, which was bought by BlockThrough.

Meanwhile Stardom Ventures’ current portfolio features Deepdub, an artificial intelligence-based dubbing technology firm whose board has recently been joined by former HBO Max chief content officer Kevin Reilly, and Piggy, a start-up working to revolutionise smartphone document creation for Gen-Z users.

Avi Nir, CEO of Keshet and co-founder of Stardom Ventures, said: “When we started out, our vision was to create a junction where Israeli high-tech connects with the global media arena. This would have remained just a vision if not for the talent and hard work of Danny Peled, who leads and manages the fund, as well as our outstanding partners. All of these have led the fund and its start-ups to the successes in which we take pride.”

Peled, fund manager at Stardom Ventures, said: “We have achieved this goal after proving that the combination between media and technology can take us far, in terms of business and the fund’s results, as well as the synergy it brings for our shareholders. I’d like to thank my partners, thanks to whom we have a wonderful portfolio of companies, entrepreneurs we love and achievements in which we take pride, and I thank the people from Keshet, especially Sigal Alboher and Avi Nir, for their unreserved trust and support.”