Active

Protego Ventures

General contacts

Investor type

Founded

2024

AUM

Location

Herzliya, Central District, Israel

Investment Ticket

$10-50 m

Investment Stage

Late Stage (Series C+) Series B

Region of investment

Asia Middle East Europe North America

ESG Focus

Women

Investor profile last updated: 30 September, 2026

Profile

Protego Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Herzliya, Israel, co-founded by Lital Leshem and Lee Moser. The firm specializes in defense technology investments, focusing on early-growth companies with proven technologies in the defense sector. The team includes former IDF personnel and experienced fund managers, bringing together a robust network of military and government relationships.

Protego Ventures invests in defense and security technology sectors, including sensors, AI/ML, autonomous systems, drones, and UAVs. The firm typically writes checks between $5 million-$50 million, primarily targeting post-traction startups in Israel and extending its reach into the US and allied defense markets. The firm has raised a $125 million debut fund, with Ares Management as a notable LP.

The firm's portfolio includes XTEND, a company that develops human-guided autonomous systems and went public on the NYSE. Other investments include ASIO, Prisma Photonics, and Rilian, focusing on navigation systems, critical-infrastructure monitoring, and AI for cyber tasks, respectively, demonstrating Protego's focus on technologies with real-world defense applications.

Industry

Defense Machine Learning (ML) Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity AI Security

Protego Ventures Funds

Name	Type	Industry	Stage	Region	Size	AUM	Launch date
Protego Ventures Fund I	Venture Capital (VC)	Security AI Defense	Series B Late Stage (Series C+)	North America Middle East	$10-50 m	$125 M	September 2026

Contacts

Name

Title

Social Networks

LEE MOSER Co-Founder & General Partner

Co-Founder & General Partner

l•••@•••

LITAL LESHEM Co-Founder & Managing Partner

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

l•••@•••

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Investment-team contacts for Protego Ventures — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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FAQs about Protego Ventures

Is Protego Ventures a venture capital or private equity firm?

Protego Ventures is a venture capital firm. It backs companies at Late Stage (Series C+) and Series B, writing tickets of $10-50 m.

Where is Protego Ventures located?

Protego Ventures is located in Herzliya, Central District, Israel.

When was Protego Ventures founded?

Protego Ventures was founded in 2024.

What sectors and industries does Protego Ventures invest in?

Protego Ventures invests in companies and startups in Defense, Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), Cybersecurity, AI, Security.

What is Protego Ventures geographical focus of investments?

Protego Ventures invests in companies and startups in Asia, Middle East, Europe, North America.

At what stages of companies and startups does Protego Ventures typically invest in?

Protego Ventures invests in companies and startups at Late Stage (Series C+), Series B.

What is the usual amount of Protego Ventures investment?

Protego Ventures usually invests $10-50 m on average.

When was Protego Ventures last fund created?

Protego Ventures last fund was created/launched in 2026-09-29

Does Protego Ventures invest and support LGBTQ, female and other minorities startups and founders?

Protego Ventures invests and supports Women startups and founders.

What are the contacts of Protego Ventures?

Protego Ventures can be reached through its website protego.vc and its LinkedIn page. Its general enquiries address is [email protected]. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Protego Ventures — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

Can I access Protego Ventures data via API or MCP?

Yes. Every field on this page — profile, funds, investment criteria, portfolio and investment-team contacts — is available programmatically through the Private Equity List REST API and MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can query Protego Ventures directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.

When was the Protego Ventures profile last updated?

Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 30 September, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.