One of the chairmen of Human Rights Watch, which has accused Israel of apartheid, runs a venture-capital fund that invests heavily in Israeli start-ups.Neil Rimer has been an HRW board member since 2009 and became co-chairman of the organization’s international board of directors in 2020. He has warned about the dangers of governments utilizing technological tools to abuse human rights.Last week, for the first time in its history, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of apartheid and called on the UN to punish it with an arms embargo.Rimer is the founder of and a partner in Index Ventures, a Geneva-based venture-capital firm.His profile on the HRW website features 11 companies he has worked with or invested in, none of which are Israeli. However, the Index Ventures website lists several Israeli companies it supports, including MyHeritage, Outbrain, Lacoon and Adallom.According to Start-Up Nation Central, Index Ventures invested in Israel as recently as this March, when it was the leader among six investors in a $130 million round of funding for Wiz and one of nine investors in Capitolis in a $90m. round of funding.Last August, Index Ventures was one of nine investors in a $200m. round of funding for Gong.io.The Index Ventures portfolio in the Start-Up Nation Central database features 21 companies.A 2016 article on the Index Ventures website lists Israel as one of three locations in which the company invests in “disruptive startups led by the best and most ambitious founders.” The site also features a 2014 article enthusiastically boosting Israel’s start-up scene as a “world leader” with “astonishing success.”In 2007, Index Ventures secured a €350m. round of funding, 15%-20% of which was meant to be invested in Israeli start-ups, Haaretz reported.Index Ventures did not respond to a request for comment on Rimer leading their fund, which makes money from Israeli start-ups, while chairing an organization that says Israel is an apartheid state.
Human Rights Watch chairman invests in Israel as he calls it ‘apartheid’
Neil Rimer is a board member of Human Rights Watch, which recently accused Israel of apartheid.
