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Lior Simon

Experienced General Partner and Investor in Cybersecurity

Lior Simon is a General Partner at Cyberstarts, an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses exclusively on investing in cybersecurity companies.12 Here are some key details about Lior Simon:

Professional Background

Lior Simon has built her entire career in venture capital, starting from the bottom and working her way up.3 Her professional journey includes:

  • Cyberstarts: Currently serving as a General Partner since 2020.3
  • Arbor Ventures: Served as Head of Israel, starting one of the first fintech-focused funds in the country in January 2016.3
  • Sequoia Capital: Began her career here, initially working in the back office during her studies before becoming an analyst.3

Investment Philosophy

Simon is passionate about early-stage investments. At Cyberstarts, she focuses on:

  • Investing in companies at the very early stages, often before they are even incorporated.3
  • Seeking out "true significant pains and problems in the markets".1
  • Emphasizing the importance of an incredible team and solving real pain points as key pillars for a company's success.1

Education and Skills

  • Studied industrial engineering and management.3
  • Fluent in Hebrew and English, with native or bilingual proficiency in both languages.4

Personal Life

Lior Simon is married and has three children between the ages of two and seven.3

Approach to Mentorship and Diversity

Simon is committed to mentoring and supporting women in the tech industry. She advises women to:

  • Surround themselves with supportive people and find mentors.3
  • Not hesitate to become entrepreneurs, emphasizing that extensive experience isn't always necessary.3
  • Focus on what pushes them forward professionally and personally.3

She also actively helps portfolio companies hire women and believes that diversity is crucial for a company's success.3

Lior Simon's LinkedIn profile can be found at: linkedin.com/in/lior-simon-b4610577.4

Highlights

Mar 14 · linkedin

If my grandfather were still around, he would describe Raanan Raz & Kfir Tishbi each, in one word - 'Mensch' I would have to agree and add a few more superlatives .. What a short and sweet ride it's been with you both and the entire  Avalor Security (a Zscaler company) team.

From cyber being third on your list of domains to tackle when we met, I'm incredibly proud of your successful hack into cybersecurity. Best of luck #Zavalor

Huge thanks to the incredible teammates and wonderful partners along the ride Anton Granic, Michelle McLean, Timna Carmel, Morgan Gerlak @ TCV, Doug M., Jibe Ventures, Salesforce Ventures

https://lnkd.in/d2Wv53Sa

Cyberstarts ... Emily Heath Gili Raanan Hila Zigman

Jan 31 · linkedin

Today's launch is the perfect example of the Cyberstarts playbook – Danny Brickman and Amit Zimerman started small but stayed focused, never taking anything for granted. Venturing into one of the largest domains in security, identity, one easy to get lost in, they were determined to find the core pain of the industry and, nonetheless, deliver significant value quickly, very quickly.

Though their journey is young, their outputs are mature. Beyond their age and experience, this achievement is a result of an exceptionally talented and driven team, hungry to understand what motivates others and then execute on it. I've had the pleasure of working alongside these two daily since they embarked on the journey of starting a company, as well as the entire Cyberstarts team.

Congratulations on this exceptional raise! I'm thrilled to be accompanied by our incredible friends and partners at Sequoia Capital, Bogomil Balkansky, Douglas Leone and Andrei Brasoveanu @ Accel and board member Michael Fey.

Let’s achieve what no non-human has ever done before…

#Cyberstarts Gili Raanan, Emily Heath, Hila Zigman

Related Questions

What are Lior Simon's key investment strategies at Cyberstarts?
How did Lior Simon start her career in venture capital?
What makes Cyberstarts unique compared to other cybersecurity VCs?
Can you share examples of successful companies in Cyberstarts' portfolio?
How does Lior Simon approach mentoring early-stage cybersecurity startups?
Lior Simon
Lior Simon, photo 1
Lior Simon, photo 2
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Experience

General Partner at Cyberstarts (2020 - Present)
Head of Israel at Arbor Ventures (January 2017 - May 2020)

Location

Israel