Yoav Leitersdorf

Founder & Managing Partner at YL Ventures · Joined 2007

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Biography

Yoav Leitersdorf founded YL Ventures in 2007 with a singular, narrow mission: help brilliant seed-stage Israeli entrepreneurs transform their ideas into global companies, before eventually focusing the firm exclusively on cybersecurity. That specialization, paired with a dual Tel Aviv-and-US presence and a network of more than 100 CISOs who advise on deals in exchange for carried interest, has given YL what Leitersdorf calls 'first dibs at every seed deal coming out of Israel.' The firm's track record includes Twistlock, acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $410 million, and Orca Security, one of the category's fastest-growing unicorns, and Leitersdorf closed Fund V at $400 million in 2022 - the largest seed fund ever raised specifically for cybersecurity - pushing the firm's total funds under management to $800 million.

Previous Experience

Notable Investments

TwistlockOrca SecurityCybereasonHush Security

Career Timeline

2007
Founds YL Ventures to help seed-stage Israeli entrepreneurs build global companies.
2019
Twistlock, a portfolio company, is acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $410 million.
2022
Closes Fund V at $400 million, the largest seed fund ever raised for cybersecurity.
2025
Reports total funds under management reaching $800 million.

Sources & References

YL Ventures - Yoav Leitersdorf ↗TechCrunch ↗