Yaron Kniajer

Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Surround Ventures

📍 Israel, Israel🔄 Updated September 2026💼 19 investments📅 17 years investing🗓 Last invested Jan 2025𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
VC🌍 Israel
19
Total investments
11
Early stage
4
Mid stage
0
Late stage
17y
Years active

Portfolio

17 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Board Observer
2025
🔬 Cellergy Therapeutics: Transforming Cellular Health Through Mitochondrial Innovation Our breakthrough approach harnesses the power of young, healthy mitochondria to revolutionize the treatment of degenerative and metabolic diseases. The Science Behind Our Innovation: Mitochondria - the cellular powerhouses - are essential for energy production, driving critical functions from muscle contraction to DNA repair. Yet with age, these vital organelles accumulate damage, leading to decreased cellular energy and contributing to various degenerative conditions. Our Solution: Through innovative mitochondrial transplantation therapy, we replace compromised mitochondria with fully functional ones, effectively restoring cellular energy production and enhancing cell function. Target Indications: Metabolic Disorders Type 2 Diabetes Neurodegenerative Diseases Age-related Conditions Join us as we advance this transformative technology to address critical unmet medical needs and enhance healthy longevity. #BiotechInnovation #CellularHealth #Mitochondria #DrugDevelopment #TherapeuticInnovation"
Board Observer
2024
Pioneering Massive Scaling: Unlocking 1-Million-Qubit Quantum Computing QuamCore is developing a quantum processor with one million qubits, all housed within a single cryostat. By leveraging established superconducting qubits and integrating them with a digital superconducting controller, QuamCore has designed a complete architecture that supports one million qubits in a single cryostat—surpassing the traditional approach, which is typically limited to thousands of qubits per cryostat. The goal of one million qubits stems from a widely shared view in the quantum computing community: this scale marks the threshold at which quantum computers begin solving real-world problems rather than merely demonstrating the technology’s potential. Through an architecture-first strategy, we methodically mitigated risks and developed a fully realized solution, which we are now bringing to production.
Board Observer
2022
Were building the largest and most sustainable egg company in the world, without the use of chickens. Our first-of-their-kind products will change the egg industry and change how the world consumes and experiences eggs. We’ve created something entirely new: the world’s first plant-based poached and sunny-side up eggs – complete with rich, runny, mind-bendingly delicious yolks. That’s right. We’re using plant-based innovation to bring you Eggs Benny with bottomless mimosas on a Sunday morning (and all your other favorite runny yolk egg-speriences), from plants. Our co-founder Yosefa developed Yo Eggs, undergoing hundreds of hours of trial and error to get the product exactly right. And at last, she cracked it: the perfect white and perfect yolk, together in one magnificent, eggy symphony and ready for any dish in need of the perfect plant-based poached or fried egg. We look forward to partnering with foodservice operators and others inspired by our mission.
Board Member
2021
Hyper food robotics is an innovative company committed to reinventing the fast food industry by introducing a fully autonomous self-contained robotic restaurant hybrid capable of providing fresh, flavorful, healthy, and safe fast food, that meets the demands of both the industry and the consumer. Hyper’s ground-breaking concept will propel the industry forward and shape its future. contact us: info@hyper-robotics.com https://www.facebook.com/HyperFoodRobotics
Investor
2021
Fashion retail is no longer just about clothes. Success requires a combination of innovation and creative use of technology. Botika harnesses the power of Generative AI to help fashion retailers create stunning product photos. Using Botikas AI-generated fashion models, retailers can transform their existing photos into a range of professional, studio-grade product images, reducing photo production costs and time to market. Botika unites a team of experts with vast experience in Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Media, and B2B software products - we are committed to transforming the fashion industry through the use of synthetic media.
Board Member
2021
Onebeat empowers retailers to unlock the financial impact of dynamic, AI-driven inventory optimization and execution. Built on the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Onebeat’s platform transforms inventory management from a complex challenge into a strategic advantage. Within 90 days, our AI-driven solutions deliver clear, daily SKU-level adjustments based on real-time demand, enabling retailers to increase sales, reduce waste, and boost margins across the entire product lifecycle. Unlike traditional, forecast-based systems, Onebeat’s approach continuously adapts and aligns stock with demand to ensure operational efficiency. Our platform ensures the right inventory is always in the right place at the right time, helping retailers capture more sales opportunities and maximize revenue. By leveraging proven algorithms and operational agility, Onebeat minimizes stockouts, overstock, and waste, ultimately creating a system of operational excellence and resilience.
Investor
2020
Solvo is empowering developers and DevOps engineers by enabling them to run their cloud infrastructure with least privilege access, fast and at scale. Solvo is an adaptive cloud infrastructure security platform that enables organizations to innovate at cloud speed and scale. Leveraging real-time monitoring and analysis across cloud infrastructure, applications, data and users, Solvo automatically creates customized, constantly updated least privileged access policies based on the level of risk associated with entities and data in the cloud. Solvo’s contextual, multi-dimensional analytics help CISOs identify and prioritize risks, and proactively mitigate cloud misconfigurations and vulnerabilities while facilitating collaboration between security, DevOps and engineering teams. Using Solvo, organizations can reduce their cloud attack surface, simplify compliance, and grow their business in a secure manner.
Investor
2020
XTEND provides revolutionary human-guided autonomous machine systems that enable any operator to perform extremely accurate maneuvers and actions, in any environment with minimal training. The companys patented XOS operating system fuses the best of human intelligence and machine autonomy to enhance the operators abilities, and simultaneously reduce the need for physical confrontation, thereby minimizing casualties and injuries. Hundreds of XTENDs systems are already operationally deployed worldwide, and the company is continuously developing its XOS operating system and platforms to deliver the future of human-machine teaming to defense, public safety, and security professionals worldwide.
Board Observer
2020
Discover Bites, the game-changing training platform that revolutionizes the way knowledge is communicated. With Bites, you can easily create and manage training content, wherever and whenever you want. Our full learning cycle combines Short Videos, questions, and summary cards to ensure maximum comprehension of the content. Train better, one Bite at a time.
Board Observer
2016
Sharegain is the global fintech that pioneered retail-optimized Fully Paid Lending, also known as Securities Lending as a Service (SLaaS). We empower retail-facing financial institutions to offer Fully Paid Lending to their underlying clients with real-time inventory visibility, automated exception handling, and institutional-grade execution. Our fully paid lending platform can replace or be used in conjunction with legacy systems through a single, scalable solution—compressing time-to-revenue and eliminating the need for additional operational overhead. Built for flexibility, our custodian-agnostic infrastructure integrates seamlessly with existing systems. We reduce operational burdens and mitigate the increasing costs associated with running fully paid or securities lending programs. Sharegain’s white-glove legal and regulatory support enables compliance with evolving frameworks like Rule 10c-1a and SFTR. Our Opt-In Hub and retail-first user experience expertise puts client expectations first, unlocking new revenue streams for institutions, more passive income opportunities for clients, and future-proofs your lending program for the next generation. Visit our website to learn more about what we offer: https://sharegain.com/ Important disclosures apply: https://sharegain.com/disclosures/
Board Member
2015
IMGN is a next generation media company focused on Gen Z audiences with 60 million followers and growing. Our media channels including Daquan, So Satisfying and TryHard bring  young viewers the specialized formats they crave such as memes, ASMR and satisfying videos. We are a top Snapchat Discover publisher as well as pioneers in the live TikTok and Twitch music streaming spaces. Vertical Studios was founded by IMGN in 2021 to translate everything we know about reaching Gen Z with impact to Fortune 500 brands on platforms ranging from TikTok to Discord, Twitch, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Brand partners have included Levi’s, Panasonic, Amazon, McDonald’s, Adobe, Riot Games and many more. IMGN was acquired by Warner Music Group in 2020.
early stageMedia Production
Board Observer
2014
PayU Hub, The world’s leading payment orchestration platform for managing multiple providers in one scalable, secure and diverse solution PayU Hub (formerly ZOOZ) is a comprehensive orchestration layer for the implementation of payment strategies provided by PayU. PayU Hub (formerly ZOOZ) helps businesses consolidate their payment data, facilitate the addition of payment providers and optimize their payment stack and the return on their payment investment. PayU Hub (formerly ZOOZ) orchestration layer supports merchants by providing them the tools to route their payments, A/B test them and enhance their performance with smart reporting. It allows businesses to transform payment data into strategic decisions to increase their revenue and minimize their operational costs.
Board Member
2013
Captain Up, the world’s first cloud-based engagement and retention platform, maximizes customer activity and loyalty - using game mechanics and behavioral psychology. A recommended solution by leading brands around the globe - setting a golden standard in loyalty & gamification. Delivering powerful marketing tools, driving business growth, rewarding loyalty, building personalized journeys, monitoring costs and promoting responsible gaming. Enabling brands to offer a new customer experience, enriching the user journey with challenges, tournaments, jackpots, leaderboards, personal promotions, coins, smart bonuses, shop, progressive rewards, points, badges and more.
Board Observer
2012
Yotpo, the leading eCommerce retention marketing platform, helps thousands of forward-thinking brands like Steve Madden, Princess Polly, Brooklinen, and Morrocanoil win customers for life. Our platform approach connects data-driven solutions for reviews, visual UGC, loyalty, referrals, SMS marketing, email, and subscriptions, empowering brands to maximize the value of their customers. We integrate with the tools online businesses use every day, including Google, Instagram, top eCommerce platforms, and the rest of the marketing technology stack. Yotpo is a Forbes Cloud 100 company with offices worldwide including New York, London, Sydney, and Tel Aviv. Our mission? Empowering brands to grow their direct-to-consumer business through captivating experiences that spark and sustain lasting customer loyalty.
Investor\Mentor
2012
Elevator is a venture capital firm. We operate from Tel Aviv and New York and we invest $250K-1M in early stage technology companies.
Show all 17 investments ↓
Experience · 22 entries
All (22)
Investments (19)
Board (15)
2025
Board Observer
2025
🔬 Cellergy Therapeutics: Transforming Cellular Health Through Mitochondrial Innovation Our breakthrough approach harnesses the power of young, healthy mitochondria to revolutionize the treatment of degenerative and metabolic diseases. The Science Behind Our Innovation: Mitochondria - the cellular powerhouses - are essential for energy production, driving critical functions from muscle contraction to DNA repair. Yet with age, these vital organelles accumulate damage, leading to decreased cellular energy and contributing to various degenerative conditions. Our Solution: Through innovative mitochondrial transplantation therapy, we replace compromised mitochondria with fully functional ones, effectively restoring cellular energy production and enhancing cell function. Target Indications: Metabolic Disorders Type 2 Diabetes Neurodegenerative Diseases Age-related Conditions Join us as we advance this transformative technology to address critical unmet medical needs and enhance healthy longevity. #BiotechInnovation #CellularHealth #Mitochondria #DrugDevelopment #TherapeuticInnovation"
2024
Board Observer
2024
Pioneering Massive Scaling: Unlocking 1-Million-Qubit Quantum Computing QuamCore is developing a quantum processor with one million qubits, all housed within a single cryostat. By leveraging established superconducting qubits and integrating them with a digital superconducting controller, QuamCore has designed a complete architecture that supports one million qubits in a single cryostat—surpassing the traditional approach, which is typically limited to thousands of qubits per cryostat. The goal of one million qubits stems from a widely shared view in the quantum computing community: this scale marks the threshold at which quantum computers begin solving real-world problems rather than merely demonstrating the technology’s potential. Through an architecture-first strategy, we methodically mitigated risks and developed a fully realized solution, which we are now bringing to production.
2022
Board Observer
2022
Were building the largest and most sustainable egg company in the world, without the use of chickens. Our first-of-their-kind products will change the egg industry and change how the world consumes and experiences eggs. We’ve created something entirely new: the world’s first plant-based poached and sunny-side up eggs – complete with rich, runny, mind-bendingly delicious yolks. That’s right. We’re using plant-based innovation to bring you Eggs Benny with bottomless mimosas on a Sunday morning (and all your other favorite runny yolk egg-speriences), from plants. Our co-founder Yosefa developed Yo Eggs, undergoing hundreds of hours of trial and error to get the product exactly right. And at last, she cracked it: the perfect white and perfect yolk, together in one magnificent, eggy symphony and ready for any dish in need of the perfect plant-based poached or fried egg. We look forward to partnering with foodservice operators and others inspired by our mission.
2021
Board Member
2021
Hyper food robotics is an innovative company committed to reinventing the fast food industry by introducing a fully autonomous self-contained robotic restaurant hybrid capable of providing fresh, flavorful, healthy, and safe fast food, that meets the demands of both the industry and the consumer. Hyper’s ground-breaking concept will propel the industry forward and shape its future. contact us: info@hyper-robotics.com https://www.facebook.com/HyperFoodRobotics
Investor
2021
Fashion retail is no longer just about clothes. Success requires a combination of innovation and creative use of technology. Botika harnesses the power of Generative AI to help fashion retailers create stunning product photos. Using Botikas AI-generated fashion models, retailers can transform their existing photos into a range of professional, studio-grade product images, reducing photo production costs and time to market. Botika unites a team of experts with vast experience in Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Media, and B2B software products - we are committed to transforming the fashion industry through the use of synthetic media.
Show all 22 entries ↓
Investment activity
2009–2025 · 19 investments
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