Dovi Frances

Dovi Frances
Born (1978-11-20) November 20, 1978
Israel
CitizenshipIsraeli-American
EducationB.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
SpouseRoni Eshel
Children3
Websitegroup11.vc

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

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

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

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

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "How Dovi Frances Went from Oligarch's Right-Hand Man to a "Shark"". Globes.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b "Israel's Group 11 Signs $50 Million Deal With US Firm For Third Fund Holdings". NoCamels. April 7, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Dovi Frances makes an important move at age 46: This is his new partner". ice. July 7, 2025.
  6. ^ ""The Fintech Industry's Shark: Traditional Banking Will Disappear Within 10-20 Years"". TheMarker. December 22, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Dovi Frances in a special interview: "Leaving The Sharks, Israel needs 100% of me"". ice. October 2, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "The art of success". Jewish Journal. April 25, 2011.
  9. ^ ""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.
  10. ^ a b "Recipients of the Ben-Gurion Award for 2023-24 and 2024-25". Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "We Are Heading Towards a Financial Armageddon; The World Is Changing and So Must the Funds". Geektime Podcast - Dovi Frances. February 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "SGVC Raises a New $50 Million Venture Fund". CTECH. September 25, 2017.
  14. ^ "Dovi Frances Discusses Wealth Management". SUPERYACHTS.COM. February 26, 2014.
  15. ^ "SGVC Seeks $50 Million for Third Fintech Fund". WSJ. September 26, 2017.
  16. ^ "Preqin announces winners for 2024 Preqin Awards" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. June 18, 2024.
  17. ^ "Latest HEC Paris-DowJones Venture Capital Performance Ranking reveals the smallest firms delivering strongest returns". HEC Paris. June 12, 2023.
  18. ^ "Group 11". Startup Nation Finder.
  19. ^ ""Not all unicorn valuations are real"". Globes. November 18, 2020.
  20. ^ Biswas, Pritam. "Travel tech firm Navan confidentially files for US IPO". Reuters.
  21. ^ "Munich Re buys Israeli insurtech co Next at $2.6b valuation". Globes. March 20, 2025.
  22. ^ "Sunbit Announces $130M Series D Round and a $1 Billion Valuation". Sunbit. June 2021.
  23. ^ "The cast of the new season of The Sharks has been finalized". mako. June 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "Mystery billionaire takes out historic $201 million life insurance policy". Guinness World Records.
  25. ^ "Gal Gadot: "Israel is my heart and my home - we share a common purpose"". N12. May 18, 2023.
  26. ^ "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.
  27. ^ Chernova, Yuliya (September 9, 2024). "Can Venture Capital Keep Itself Afloat?". Wall Street Journal. WSJ.
  28. ^ "Cannabis industry and gaming payments startup Aeropay is now offering an alternative to Mastercard and Visa". TechCrunch. May 16, 2024.
  29. ^ ""We have bigger problems than the judicial overhaul"". Globes. June 18, 2023.
  30. ^ "Dovi Frances to help set up Israel AI National Directorate". Globes. October 11, 2024.
  31. ^ "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.
  32. ^ "Steering Committee". ICON.
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ "Dovi Frances Reveals How Much His Secrets to Success Will Cost in New Book". ice.
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