UPDATE: Panel video above, photos here.

This Feb 16th two organizations privileged to support founders and their audacity to create the future, are partnering up to talk shop with over 200 Israeli founders and investors. Seedcamp, the popular European startup boot camp, is coming back to Tel Aviv to school and fund our best and brightest. Founders: There’s still time to apply until Feb 3rd. It’s going to be an intense day of mentoring and competition at Afeka College of Engineering with a chance to be seen by some of the world’s top early stage investors.

The IL branch of the TechAviv Founders Club, following up a riveting discussion with our top VCs last month, will convene at 6:30PM in the main auditorium right after Seedcamp’s last session to explore the new generation of seed-stage investment sources available to Israeli Internet and Mobile startups. What better theme to bring us together.

Panelists:
1. Jeremie Berrebi, Kima Ventures. One of the most prolific microfunds, making 2 investments a week!
2. Saul Klein, Seedcamp. Israel’s new $315M man, founder of Seedcamp, the European microfund now focused on Israel.
3. Eden Shochat, Entrepreneur-Angel-VC. Devoting every waking hour to Israeli Internet founders. Spearheads The Junction
4. Yair Goldfinger, Angel. Co-founder of ICQ and Dotomi now funds Israel’s next generation of winners.
5. Yaniv Golan, Angel. Sold Yedda to AOL, now backing young founders with partner Avichay Nissenbaum
6. Guy Gamzu, Angel. Diamond magnet turned Internet angel is backing some of the hottest new Israeli startups.

Many more early-stage investors will participate in the discussion from the audience. This is a closed event and already way over capacity, but every is welcome to watch and chat live Feb 16th @7PM IL time.

It’s been a year since we kicked-off the TechAviv Angels, an informal gathering of successful Israeli startup founders and investors that are privately angel-investing in Israeli Web and Mobile startups. Our format was simple – get together every 2 months to see pitches by the most promising TechAviv startups. I’m thrilled to say that the format led to the financing of several awesome startups but as many founders pointed out, one key element was not optimal – it didn’t scale.

Here’s what we learned:

1. It’s hard to coordinate the schedules of 50 angels for a bi-monthly pitch night.
2. The hottest deals don’t wait for a bi-monthly pitch night
3. There are too many qualified startup applicants for a bi-monthly pitch night.

Here’s what we’re doing:

Since our mission is to get as many brilliant Israeli founders funded as possible we’ve decided to change up our format to be more of an Angel List. Startups should still apply here, but instead of pitching in front of the whole group, we’re going to be sending a regular “Hot Deals” email to the Angels highlighting the most promising applicants. Interested Angels follow-up with the founders directly via email. We will not hold pitch nights, but Angels always have access to our applicant database for direct contact with the founders at any time.

Please note that the TechAviv Angels are a separate group from the TechAviv Founders Club, which is open to all founders of active Israeli hi-tech startups.

I’m excited and proud today to announce the launch of the TechAviv Angels. Born out of the TechAviv spirit of giving back to our community, the TechAviv Angels are a group of Israel’s most successful Internet, Web & Mobile startup founders that have come together to help identify, fund and mentor our next generation of big winners. We’re an informal Angel Club that gathers every two months in Tel Aviv to see pitches by Israel’s most promising Angel-stage startups. Our first “Demo Night” is November 24th. If you’re an Angel-stage Web, Internet or Mobile startup seeking funding apply here. The “Angels” tab will also be a permanent fixture at the top of this site. Applying and presenting is 100% free. Like Jason, we don’t believe startups should pay to pitch, ever.

Over the past two years of running TechAviv Founders Club events worldwide it had become painfully apparent that there are great inefficiencies in the pairing of quality founders with quality Angels in Israel. We hope to establish a platform that streamlines and ignites the funding of more early-stage Internet, Web and Mobile startups by investors that can play a pivotal role in their success. We believe these startups are the future of Israeli hi-tech.

Dream Team

Founding members of the TechAviv Angels include the founders of Israel’s biggest Internet, Web and Mobile exits over the last decade, including Yair Goldfinger (ICQ), Amir Ashkenazi (Shopping.com), Yaron Galai (Quigo), Ofer Adler (Incredimail), Jon Medved (Accent), Oren Dobronsky (Hotbar, SmartShopper), Eilon Tirosh (Exalink, Olista), Eden Shochat (Atternity), Itai Kohavi (Neat Group, Comfy), Ofer Vilensky (Jungo), Nimrod Lev (kSolo) and Avichay Nissenbaum (Yedda). See Full 30 Member List. Combined exits of the founding members exceed $3 Billion USD.

TechAviv Angels will invest individually at first but that may change down the road. Collectively we provide all presenting startups with critical feedback and connections. The platform is designed to facilitate more early investments in quality startups by “Mentor-Angels” that have extensive hands-on experience running similar businesses. We ultimately hope to foster lasting personal relationships that will lead to the building of great Israeli companies. As such, also participating in our Demo Nights are Israel’s top early-stage VCs that have a proven track record of backing successful Internet, Web or Mobile startups. Participating VCs include partners from Sequoia, Benchmark, Bessemer, Gemini, Genesis, Carmel, Canaan, Rhodium, YL Ventures and Kaedan.

VCs in An Angel Club!?

Many have asked why we’re including VCs in TechAviv Angels Demo Nights. The answer is we’re all about helping great founders succeed, period. In some cases an Angel-stage startup’s ideal investment partner may be a forward-thinking VC, Angel or both. Regardless, having a relationship with the leading people in our business is critical to a founder’s success. The TechAviv Angels have been lucky enough to reach a certain level of success building and investing in startups and now want to fuel Israel’s most talented young founders in pursuing their own dreams. When investors compete for your business, everyone wins.

New Economics. New Models.

The cost efficiencies of building Web businesses has rightfully shifted founder’s funding needs and focus from VCs to Angels worldwide. $50K from a strategic advisor is game changing for a Web startup today. Mini-funds like Y-Combinator have proven that.  TechAviv Angels Demo Nights are your chance to get in front of investors who’s guidance and contacts are more valuable than their money. We hope the success of this platform will lead to more Angel investing by successful entrepreneurs and the formation of more Angel Clubs in Israel.

Are you brilliant, grounded and contagiously passionate about your Internet, Web or Mobile business? Let’s get you funded.

UPDATE: Some great initial launch coverage here:

• StartupMania
• VC Cafe
• Ouriel’s Blog
• TheMarker (Hebrew)