A newly established Czech venture capital fund, Tachles VC, is taking a unique approach to early-stage investing by fostering knowledge transfer between the Czech Republic, Israel and the US. Founded in 2024, the fund focuses on cybersecurity, AI, and cloud infrastructure, leveraging deep industry connections to identify high-potential Israeli and Czech startups at an early stage.
Led by Czech Karel Tušek and David Marek, alongside Israeli partners Dan Dinnar, Sivan Kanev and Boris Chovnik and U.S. partner Robin Bienfait, the fund builds on a decade of experience investing in Israeli deep-tech. Its investment thesis extends beyond capital deployment, aiming to create a bridge for knowledge transfer and cross-border collaboration between Israeli and Czech ecosystems.
As veterans in the startup ecosystem, Tušek and Marek have successfully invested in Czech startups in the past, such as ThreatMark, which protects bank clients from fraudulent activities.
Spotting the early potential
Tachles VC takes pride in its ability to source top deals early, leveraging strong industry relationships and local presence.
“Our ability to source top Israeli deals comes from a strong local presence, deep industry relationships, and a decade-long track record in cybersecurity, AI, and cloud. With Israeli partners on the ground and well-established VC and founder networks, we gain early access to high-potential startups before they hit the broader market. The unique Czech-Israeli relationship plays a key role—Israeli founders respect Czech structure and technical rigor, and our ‘positively exotic’ positioning makes us a natural, trusted partner in this space,” explains Karel Tušek, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Tachles VC.
With a target fund size of $20M, the fund completed its first closing in mid-2024 and remains open to new investors until November 2025. Its early portfolio has already seen growth, with its first valuation mark-up in Q4 2024, increasing equity valuation 3.5x from its previous round. So far, the fund is supported by high net worth individuals and family offices, mainly from the US and UK.
Bridging Israel and CEE through knowledge transfer
Beyond investments, the fund’s founders have also launched the Czech-Israeli Technology & Innovation Forum (CITIF). This initiative supports Israeli startups in expanding into the European market while helping Czech companies adopt Israeli innovation strategies.
“CEE startups can learn a lot from the Israeli model—particularly the focus on speed, agility, and resilience. Israeli startups excel in rapid execution, rigorous market understanding, and leveraging tight-knit networks. Adopting these principles—being agile, focusing on strong due diligence, and building robust relationships—can help CEE startups scale more effectively on the global stage,” adds Tachles VC’s managing partner.
Focusing on very early stage startups
Tachles VC has already deployed $1.3M into Israeli AI, cloud, and cybersecurity startups, primarily at the pre-seed and seed stages. Initial investments range between $100,000 and $500,000, with the potential for follow-on funding.
The fund is also open to Czech and CEE startups—with a few key conditions:
“Global ambition, highly scalable product, strong and result-driven founding team—aka fast movers,” explains Tušek.
By combining capital with strategic mentorship and knowledge transfer, Tachles VC seeks to bridge ecosystems, supporting the next wave of high-growth cybersecurity and AI startups in both Israel and CEE.
