Dovi Frances
Dovi Frances | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1978 |
| Citizenship | Israeli-American |
| Education | B.A. in Business Administration & Psychology Ben-Gurion University, MBA in Finance and Marketing UCLA Anderson School of Management |
| Occupation(s) | Venture capitalist, Entrepreneur, Author, TV personality |
| Spouse | Roni Eshel |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | group11 |
Dov "Dovi" Frances (Hebrew: דובי פרנסס; born November 20, 1978) is an Israeli-American[1] venture capitalist Los Angeles[2] and television personality.[3] He founded Group 11, a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm[4] that has deployed over $660 million.[5] Since 2018,[6] Frances has appeared on the Israeli version of Shark Tank, called "HaKrishim".[7]
Early life and career
[edit]Frances was born in Holon, Israel, where he grew up in a working-class family. His father worked as a customs agent before establishing Holon Motors,[8] a car dealership business.[3] During his mandatory military service, Frances served as a company commander at Bahad 1, the Israeli Defense Forces' Officers Academy.[9]
Frances earned a dual bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.[10] He then moved to the United States,[11] where he completed an MBA in Finance and Marketing from UCLA[12] Anderson School of Management in 2008.[8] After graduating, Frances joined Deutsche Bank in New York as a private wealth manager for high-net-worth clients. In 2011, Russian billionaire Sergey Grishin recruited him to manage investments at SG,[11] a financial advisory company. Frances established a venture capital fund called "SGVC"[13] under the SG umbrella in 2012.[14]
Group 11
[edit]In May 2015, Frances purchased the SGVC venture capital fund[15] from Grishin and renamed it Group 11. The firm has deployed over $660 million across multiple funds.[5]
In June 2024, research firm Preqin ranked Group 11 first among U.S. venture capital funds for performance.[16] The same year, HEC Paris-DowJones ranked the firm third globally among venture capital funds.[17]
Group 11[18] has invested[4] in seven companies that achieved unicorn[19] status.[5] The portfolio includes Tipalti (valued at $8.3 billion), Navan (valued at $9.2 billion),[20] and Next Insurance, which was acquired for $2.6 billion in 2025.[21] Other investments include HomeLight, Sunbit (valued at $1.1 billion),[22] Dream Security, Masterschool, AeroPay, BridgeWise, Healthee, and Venn.
Television career
[edit]Frances joined "HaKrishim" (The Sharks), the Israeli version of Shark Tank, when it premiered on February 20, 2018, on Channel 12.[23] He appeared as an investor for four seasons before stepping down[1] to focus on artificial intelligence policy work.[7]
Personal life
[edit]Frances is married to Roni Eshel, a former Israeli surfing champion,[3] and they have three children. The family lives in Brentwood, Los Angeles.[1]
In 2014, Frances facilitated a $201 million life insurance policy, recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest individual policy.[24]
In 2023, Frances received an award from the Israeli American Council and Israeli Consulate for outstanding achievements in technology and strengthening U.S.-Israel relations.[25] In 2024, he received the Ben-Gurion Award for contributions to Israel's economy, technological innovation, and support of the Negev region.[10] His investment views have been covered in Business Insider,[26] WSJ,[27] TechCrunch,[28] and Globes.[29]
In November 2024, Frances was appointed as a temporary advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on artificial intelligence matters.[30] He serves on the Board of Governors of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and co-founded The Institute, an AI research center at the university.[31] Frances also serves on the Steering Committee of the ICON Israel Collaboration Network.[32]
In 2024, he published "Introduction to Victory" (מבוא לניצחון) through Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir publishing house[1].The book became a best-seller[33] and he announced plans to distribute 14,000 copies to injured Israeli soldiers.[34]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d שקד, רענן (January 2, 2025). ""You know who's the best person to lead this country? Me."". 7 Yamim Weekend Magazine, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
- ^ "How Dovi Frances Went from Oligarch's Right-Hand Man to a "Shark"". Globes.
- ^ a b c "From a Garage in Holon to a Los Angeles Investment Firm: The Success Story of Dovi Frances". Weekend News Broadcast, Channel 12 News. April 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "Israel's Group 11 Signs $50 Million Deal With US Firm For Third Fund Holdings". NoCamels. April 7, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Dovi Frances makes an important move at age 46: This is his new partner". ice. July 7, 2025.
- ^ ""The Fintech Industry's Shark: Traditional Banking Will Disappear Within 10-20 Years"". TheMarker. December 22, 2019.
- ^ a b "Dovi Frances in a special interview: "Leaving The Sharks, Israel needs 100% of me"". ice. October 2, 2024.
- ^ a b "The art of success". Jewish Journal. April 25, 2011.
- ^ ""I think that the only answer at times of uncertainty is: do you have a fundamental belief that tomorrow will be better?"". 20-Minute Leaders Podcast, CTech by Calcalist. January 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "Recipients of the Ben-Gurion Award for 2023-24 and 2024-25". Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
- ^ a b "From a Garage in Holon to the Top of Venture Capital: The Story of Dovi Frances". The Success Podcast, N12. January 19, 2023.
- ^ "We Are Heading Towards a Financial Armageddon; The World Is Changing and So Must the Funds". Geektime Podcast - Dovi Frances. February 10, 2020.
- ^ "SGVC Raises a New $50 Million Venture Fund". CTECH. September 25, 2017.
- ^ "Dovi Frances Discusses Wealth Management". SUPERYACHTS.COM. February 26, 2014.
- ^ "SGVC Seeks $50 Million for Third Fintech Fund". WSJ. September 26, 2017.
- ^ "Preqin announces winners for 2024 Preqin Awards" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Latest HEC Paris-DowJones Venture Capital Performance Ranking reveals the smallest firms delivering strongest returns". HEC Paris. June 12, 2023.
- ^ "Group 11". Startup Nation Finder.
- ^ ""Not all unicorn valuations are real"". Globes. November 18, 2020.
- ^ Biswas, Pritam. "Travel tech firm Navan confidentially files for US IPO". Reuters.
- ^ "Munich Re buys Israeli insurtech co Next at $2.6b valuation". Globes. March 20, 2025.
- ^ "Sunbit Announces $130M Series D Round and a $1 Billion Valuation". Sunbit. June 2021.
- ^ "The cast of the new season of The Sharks has been finalized". mako. June 28, 2017.
- ^ "Mystery billionaire takes out historic $201 million life insurance policy". Guinness World Records.
- ^ "Gal Gadot: "Israel is my heart and my home - we share a common purpose"". N12. May 18, 2023.
- ^ "A fintech VC is disclosing a decade of return data showing a billion-dollar gain. Now he is challenging other VCs to open their books". Business Insider.
- ^ Chernova, Yuliya (September 9, 2024). "Can Venture Capital Keep Itself Afloat?". Wall Street Journal. WSJ.
- ^ "Cannabis industry and gaming payments startup Aeropay is now offering an alternative to Mastercard and Visa". TechCrunch. May 16, 2024.
- ^ ""We have bigger problems than the judicial overhaul"". Globes. June 18, 2023.
- ^ "Dovi Frances to help set up Israel AI National Directorate". Globes. October 11, 2024.
- ^ "Ben-Gurion University of the Negev launches 'The Institute' to promote Israeli leadership in AI in partnership with leading entrepreneurs". Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
- ^ "Steering Committee". ICON.
- ^ "Dovi Frances, author of the bestseller Introduction to Victory, paid a visit to IDF Officer School Bahad 1, where he served 25 years ago". The Facebook page of Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir.
- ^ "Dovi Frances Reveals How Much His Secrets to Success Will Cost in New Book". ice.