How NBA Journeyman Omri Casspi Built An $800 Million Venture Capital Firm

Omri Casspi, the first Israeli player to join the NBA, unveiled his venture capital firm, Swish Ventures, which has recently secured $250 million in funding for its third fund. This fund aims to invest in approximately 12 fledgling high-tech companies, predominantly in the seed or Series A stages, with an average investment amounting to $20 million. Swish Ventures has previously backed prominent firms such as Cognition AI, Applied Compute, EON, and Wonderful.

Notably, eight of the 20 companies Swish Ventures has invested in have already achieved unicorn status. The firm's new focus will revolve around startups spanning cybersecurity, technology infrastructure, Physical AI, defense, AI applications for industrial use, and government technology. In a statement, Casspi expressed satisfaction over the rapid closure of the third fund, crediting the backing of leading institutional investors.

Founded in early 2025, Swish Ventures boasts a portfolio with a combined valuation surpassing $60 billion.

Casspi, serving as the sole managing partner, has enlisted new supporters for this latest fund, including US pension funds, top American universities, family offices, and Sequoia Capital. He emphasized that this new fund is a natural progression of Swish Ventures' strategic approach, aiming to become a significant partner to the world's most promising entrepreneurs. The firm intends to meticulously choose a limited number of exceptional founders each year, acting as true allies throughout their entrepreneurial journey.