Dovi Frances
Dov "Dovi" Frances is an Israeli-American venture capitalist Los Angeles and television personality. He founded Group 11, a Los Angeles-based venture capital firm that has deployed over $660 million. For four seasons, Frances appeared on the Israeli version of Shark Tank, called HaKrishim.
Early life and career
Frances was born in Holon, Israel. His father worked as a customs agent before establishing Holon Motors, a car dealership business. During his mandatory military service, Frances served as a company commander at Bahad 1, the Israeli Defense Forces' Officers Academy.Frances earned a dual bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Psychology from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He then moved to the United States, where he completed an MBA in Finance and Marketing from UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2008.
After graduating, Frances joined Deutsche Bank in New York City as a private wealth manager for high-net-worth clients. In 2011, Russian billionaire Sergey Grishin recruited him to manage investments at SG, a financial advisory company. Frances established a venture capital fund called "SGVC" under the SG umbrella in 2012.
Group 11
In May 2015, Frances purchased the SGVC venture capital fund from Grishin and renamed it Group 11. The firm has deployed over $660 million across multiple funds.Group 11 has been an early investor in seven companies that achieved unicorn status, which includes Navan, Next Insurance, Tipalti, Sunbit, HomeLight, Dream Security, and Masterschool.
In December 2025, an investigative report by the German newspaper Der Spiegel on former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, a co-founder of the cybersecurity company Dream Security—where Frances is the main investor—reported that Frances maintains close ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Media Recognition
Television
Frances joined HaKrishim, the Israeli version of Shark Tank, when it premiered on February 20, 2018, on Channel 12. He appeared as an investor for four seasons before stepping down to focus on artificial intelligence policy work.Book
In 2024, Frances published Introduction to Victory through Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir publishing house. The book became a best-seller and he announced plans to distribute 14,000 copies to injured Israeli soldiers.Personal life
Frances is married to Roni Eshel, a former Israeli surfing champion, and they have three children. The family lives in Brentwood, Los Angeles.In 2014, Frances facilitated a $201 million life insurance policy, recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest individual policy.
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. In 2024, he received the Ben-Gurion Award for contributions to Israel's economy, technological innovation, and support of the Negev region.
His investment views have been covered in Business Insider, WSJ, TechCrunch, and Globes.
In November 2024, Frances was appointed as a temporary advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on artificial intelligence matters. 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. Frances also serves on the Steering Committee of the ICON Israel Collaboration Network.
In 2024, he published Introduction to Victory through Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir publishing house. The book became a best-seller and he announced plans to distribute 14,000 copies to injured Israeli soldiers.