Libertad Ventures

Libertad Ventures is the Mossad's Technological Innovation Fund, established in June 2017 as the strategic investment arm of the Israel Security and Intelligence Service. Libertad invests in breakthrough technologies using a unique equity-free model: the fund provides grants of up to NIS 2 million (approximately $580,000) per startup with no equity stake, no share ownership, no IP restrictions, and no royalty repayment. In return, the Mossad receives a non-commercial, non-exclusive license to use the developed intellectual property. The fund operates with an annual budget of approximately NIS 10 million ($2.9 million), typically funding 5 startups per year, and has completed over 30 deals since 2017. Libertad's investment scope covers more than 16 technology domains: fintech, robotics, data science, drones, personality profiling, big data, energy harvesting, natural language processing, voice analysis, AI, 3D printing and scanning, blockchain, machine learning, synthetic biology, smart city technology, and online privacy. The fund leads its supported projects and allocates dedicated teams to each portfolio company, maintaining collaborative working relationships throughout the R&D process. Portfolio company names are not publicly disclosed due to the classified nature of the parent organization. The fund accepts hundreds of applications annually and has expanded its scope over time to accommodate emerging fields. Libertad is analogous to the CIA's In-Q-Tel in its role as an intelligence agency's technology investment arm, but operates with a fundamentally different economic model. The equity-free grant structure removes the commercialization friction that typically constrains deep-tech startups, allowing founders to retain full ownership while developing technologies that address national security and intelligence requirements.