Bessemer Venture Partners, a US-based venture capital company, has announced the promotion of Ariel Sterman to Partner based in Israel, effective February 2024.

Sterman, who joined the venture capital firm in 2018, brings over 20 years of industry experience, having held several key leadership roles. Currently, he serves as a Board Member of Qwak, Apron, Choco, Demostack, Melio, and Hibob, and as an investor in Upvest, Nilus, GetAccept, Firebolt, and Papaya Global. Previously, he worked with Appwrite, Netdata, Zoomin, and MyHeritage as a Board Advisor. He also served as a Senior Analyst at Stripes Group and Co-President at OFEK Consulting Group.

On the academic front, Sterman holds a bachelor's degree in business, finance, and marketing from NYU Stern School of Business. His core competencies include marketing strategy, public speaking, research, business development, finance, public relations, entrepreneurship, and venture capital.

Commenting on his new role, Sterman said, “The constant learning and exploration of the unknown is what initially drew me to a career in investing. Nothing is certain, especially at the earliest stage. Authentic dialogue with founders helps me build conviction in new sectors and ideas that may have previously been foreign to me. But it's that very uncertainty that also has me constantly revisiting classic sectors enterprise SaaS, cloud infrastructure, fintech—with an evolving lens.

He added, “SMBs around the globe face similar challenges––from time constraints to cash flow and fierce competition. This is what has pulled my attention to Europe as well in recent years, where there is critical demand for Vertical SaaS solutions tailored for small businesses in nearly every sector and market. It’s hard to find a single theme or sector that has driven the firm’s outsized success in the country. It's been a career highlight for me to help contribute to the growth of the Israeli economy and tech ecosystem. Only recently have startups in Israel proven their ability to scale into independent, enduring businesses. We’re still in the early innings, and I’m grateful that Bessemer continues to be a major player here.”