Gil Ben-Artzy is a founding partner at UpWest who co-founded the firm to be the first institutional backer of Israeli founders building US-headquartered companies, then requires those founders to spend 3-6 months working side-by-side with his team in Silicon Valley—often living and working in the same house as other portfolio founders. He brings an unusual operator background from Yahoo!, where he led their first Israel acquisition and R&D center, and maintains a meet every entrepreneur philosophy where he'll take cold outreach meetings because he believes great founders don't always fit standard VC networks.

• A strong focus on advocacy for Israel and raising awareness about antisemitism, frequently sharing commentary on the conflict with Hamas, expressing concern for hostages, and criticizing institutions for their handling of campus safety.
• Critical analysis of journalism and media integrity, often highlighting specific headlines from outlets like the New York Times or Sky News that are perceived as biased or misleading regarding geopolitical events.
• Support for the Israeli tech ecosystem and leadership, such as attending the Mind the Tech conference to meet with founders and applauding corporate leaders like Palantir CEO Alex Karp for taking firm moral stances.
• Enthusiasm for professional sports, celebrating milestones such as Tottenham Hotspur winning a trophy and recognizing exceptional statistical performances from NBA stars like Nikola Jokic.