Jonathan Kilman, general partner of Winter Park, Florida-based Govo Venture Partners, attended the recent Pitch Day at the Capitol, an event hosted by the Florida Department of Commerce and FloridaCommerce. The event featured tech companies with Israeli founders. Many of the companies attending had dual Florida and Israel connections, and the gathering exemplified the fruits of significant efforts by the administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to strengthen ties between Israel and the Sunshine State.
Also partnering in the event were SelectFlorida, the Florida Opportunity Fund and the Florida-Israel Business Accelerator (FIBA).
FIBA is a nonprofit organization that helps top Israeli startups scale and reach their full growth potential in the United States. Kilman's attendance on behalf of Govo Venture Partners added Florida-based venture capital investor presence to the event, which was also attended by Florida-based DeepWork Capital, which serves as the investment manager of the Florida Opportunity Fund.
Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez kicked off the event with opening remarks, followed by remarks from Israeli Deputy Consul General Mike Driquez. Nuñez was joined by representatives from the Governor's Office, Space Florida, the Florida Department of State, the Florida Department of Revenue, the Florida Department of Transportation, the Division of Emergency Management, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
“We heard presentations from about thirty companies with diverse offerings in areas such as healthcare, cybersecurity, and data analytics. Govo Fund I’s investment thesis focuses on early stage companies seeking to do business with government entities or those navigating government regulations, so the event was right up our alley. We are grateful to the State agencies who organized the event and we hope they continue with other similar events” said Kilman.
