Shmuel Babecov
Vice President
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- Full Name
- Shmuel ("Sami") Babecov
- Title
- Deputy CEO & Chief Investment Officer (listed in lead data as "Vice President")
- Firm
- Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. (TASE: HARL)
- Firm Type
- Institutional investor — one of Israel's largest insurance & financial-services groups (the lead record's "Angel Investors" label is not accurate; Harel invests institutional/balance-sheet capital, not angel money)
- Investment Stage
- Primarily growth, late-stage and direct/strategic institutional investments (the firm and Babkov have also taken stakes in earlier-stage Israeli startups)
- Check Size
- Large institutional tickets — Harel deals have ranged from roughly $12M to $260M+; Babkov personally led Harel's ~$30M check into Mindspace
- Target Company Profile
- Established companies, income-producing real estate, and select high-growth Israeli technology startups
- Sector Focus
- Insurance/finance balance-sheet assets, income-producing real estate, fintech, cybersecurity, data-center/compute infrastructure, and flexible workspace
- Geographic Focus
- Israel, United States, and Western Europe
- Location
- Israel (Ramat Gan / greater Tel Aviv area)
Background
Shmuel "Sami" Babecov served as Chief Investment Officer of Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. — Israel's largest insurance group, managing assets reported at well over NIS 250 billion (~$77B). He held the CIO role from 2006, making him one of the longest-serving members of Harel's executive committee, and is also described in multiple databases as Deputy CEO and CIO, overseeing the group's entire investment division.
In that capacity, Babecov directed Harel's institutional capital across public markets, private credit, a very large income-producing real-estate portfolio (Harel has held roughly NIS 15 billion in income-producing real estate), and direct investments into private companies and Israeli technology startups. His name appears on Harel transactions going back more than a decade — for example, he was a signatory for Harel Insurance Investments on a Manhattan Flatiron District commercial real-estate deal in 2011.
According to Harel's 2024 annual report, Babecov announced in December 2024 his decision to step down, with his departure set for the end of June 2025, closing a roughly two-decade tenure leading the group's investments. Sources also reference his involvement in shaping Harel's diversification into alternative assets, growth-stage technology, and real estate alongside the group's traditional insurance and pension portfolios.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Invests institutional balance-sheet capital for Harel rather than personal angel funds — deals are sized for a large insurer's portfolio, not seed rounds.
- Emphasis on diversification of the group's portfolio beyond traditional securities — explicitly using direct deals to "diversify our real estate portfolio and improve our investments."
- Strong appetite for income-producing real estate and flexible-workspace / proptech plays; led Harel's lead position in Mindspace.
- Selective exposure to Israeli high-growth technology — cybersecurity, fintech/payments security, and data-center/compute infrastructure.
- On the Mindspace deal he stated: *"Harel is proud to lead the current investment round with a total funding of $30 million. This investment is an expression of confidence in the flexible workspace model, against the backdrop of COVID's impact on the office market, and shows confidence in Mindspace's experienced and professional management team."*
Notable Investments
- Mindspace — flexible/coworking workspace operator; Harel led a $72M round in November 2021, contributing ~$30M, with Babecov as the named lead executive.
- nsKnox — corporate payment-security / B2B fintech company (founded 2015); Harel listed among its investors.
- UniFabriX — Israeli data-center / memory (CXL) compute-infrastructure startup; appears in Harel's investment portfolio under Babecov.
- Golden Capital — Harel acquired a 15% stake in the Dayan family's Golden Capital (reported by Globes).
- Outbrain — Harel was part of an Israeli institutional-investor group associated with a ~$200M financing.
- U.S. commercial real estate — e.g., Harel-owned retail in Manhattan's Flatiron District (Babecov was a 2011 signatory on Harel Insurance Investments documents).
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