BDO Breakfast Club: A New Forum for Israel’s Venture Capital Leadership
BDO Breakfast Club: A New Forum for Israel’s Venture Capital Leadership
SAMMERRY
BDO Israel hosted the inaugural BDO Breakfast Club at its Tel Aviv offices, bringing together fund managers and CFOs for a professional discussion on the evolving venture capital and private equity landscape. The event focused on key trends, challenges, and opportunities currently shaping the funds industry. Tzvika Gross highlighted how the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is disrupting traditional valuation models and changing the way investors assess long-term value and competitive advantage. Natalie Kotlyar, Chair of the Board of BDO USA, shared global insights on recent developments in VC and PE markets, including shifts in investor expectations and investment strategies. Adv. Chaim Friedland presented legal and capital markets perspectives, focusing on dual listings and new opportunities for Israeli companies through the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. The discussion emphasized the growing role of international investors and alternative routes to public market access for technology companies. The meeting marked the launch of an ongoing forum aimed at fostering knowledge sharing, collaboration, and professional dialogue within Israel’s venture capital and private equity community.
On Monday, June 15, 2026, BDO hosted the first meeting of the “BDO Funds Breakfast Club” at its Tel Aviv offices, bringing together a select group of fund managers and fund CFOs for a focused professional discussion on the changing realities of the venture capital and private equity ecosystem. The session was designed as an exclusive forum for senior figures in the Israeli funds community, addressing current trends, practical challenges, and emerging opportunities in fund management.
The meeting opened an important conversation about the growing disruption facing fund managers in the era of artificial intelligence. Mr. Tzvika Gross of BDO Israel, head of Global Outsourcing, and Fund Administrations Services, spoke about the deep structural changes now affecting valuation models across multiple industries. In his remarks, he emphasized that the rapid acceleration of AI is reshaping the way investors assess long-term value, defensibility, and growth potential. Technologies that once supported premium valuations may now become widely available, automated, or commoditized, reducing their ability to generate the level of differentiated value creation required by venture capital funds. This trend is especially visible in parts of the SaaS market, where certain technological capabilities are increasingly becoming standard infrastructure rather than unique IP with competitive advantages.
Mrs. Natalie Kotlyar, Chair of the Board of BDO USA, presented an international perspective on the changes in the venture capital and private equity investment environment in recent years. Her presentation reviewed the broader market developments affecting both VC and PE activity, including shifts in investor expectations, changes in capital availability, and evolving trends in how funds evaluate opportunities and manage portfolio companies. By bringing BDO USA’s experience and market perspective to the discussion, she added a valuable comparative view of how global trends are influencing fund strategy, investment discipline, and the way managers and investors respond to the current changing environment.
The legal and capital markets perspective was presented by Adv. Chaim Friedland, Senior Partner at Gornitzky Law Firm. His remarks focused on the dual listing of Israeli technology companies and on new routes for taking medium-sized companies public through the Israeli capital markets and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. He discussed how foreign investment houses may play an increasingly meaningful role by participating in the offering of local IPOs, and holding a significant portion of the equity of such companies, traded in the Israeli market. This approach may open new possibilities for Israeli technology companies seeking public-market access, particularly in cases where traditional listing overseas is less attractive or where companies are looking for a structure that combines local market access with international investor participation.
Also participated in the discussion, Sagiv Mizrahi, A Partner in the Corporate Finance Department at BDO Consulting, who brought in his extensive experience working with investment funds and portfolio companies. Sagiv's angle emphasized the importance of incorporating independent third-party valuations as part of the annual audit process, highlighting their role in enhancing transparency, strengthening investor confidence, and supporting fair value reporting. He noted that objective external valuations provide fund managers, limited partners, and auditors with greater assurance regarding portfolio valuations, particularly in periods of market volatility or when assessing illiquid investments. His perspective underscored the growing importance of robust valuation practices as a key component of fund management and institutional-grade governance.
The recent BDO Fund Breakfast Club meeting reflected BDO Israel’s broader commitment to creating a professional platform for dialogue among leading figures in the Israeli VC ecosystem. By combining perspectives from accounting, fund administration, global investment trends, legal structuring, capital markets, and technology disruption, the forum offered participants a concentrated and practical view of the forces currently shaping the funds industry. Hosting such recurring events at BDO’s Tel Aviv offices, is the BDO commitment and goal to foster ongoing discussions among fund managers, fund CFOs, advisors, and other senior professionals who are active in the Israeli venture capital sphere.
As the fund industry continues to navigate a period of technological acceleration, valuation pressure, and changing investment dynamics, the BDO Fund Breakfast Club is positioned to become a meaningful professional meeting point for exchanging insights, discussing practical challenges, and strengthening relationships within the Israeli funds community.
