Protego Ventures closes debut $125M fund for Israeli defense tech
Calcalist (CTech) · 2026-09-29
Protego Ventures, founded by Lital Leshem and Lee Moser, completed its $125M Fund I ($70M at first closing plus $55M) to back battle-tested Israeli defense startups. Portfolio firm XTEND listed on the NYSE at a $1.5B valuation; Fund II will lean into the US.
Vocabulary
Read source ↗- initial closingthe first stage at which a fund locks in commitments
- generalist investorsinvestors who back many sectors rather than specialising
- early-growth-stagepast startup phase, beginning to scale sales