VC Legend Jon Medved Retires After ALS Diagnosis, Turning to the AI He Funded for His Voice
Jon Medved, founder of VC firm OurCrowd and a pillar of Israel's tech scene, retires after an ALS diagnosis. Now, he's turning to the AI avatars and health tech he once funded to fight the disease.
Jon Medved, a towering figure in Israel's “Startup Nation” and founder of the pioneering VC firm OurCrowd, has abruptly retired after receiving a devastating diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). In a poignant twist, the very health tech he championed as an investor will now be his lifeline in battling the incurable disease.
Medved announced in October he was forced to step down immediately from the firm he founded. “This has come rather sudden,” he told TechCrunch in what could be his last interview, his voice audibly hoarse—a symptom of the disease. “I was in the hospital for several weeks... and that’s when they tested me and said, ‘You’ve got ALS,’ which is a horrible disease, the worst you can imagine.”
Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is a neurodegenerative condition that degrades motor neurons, leading to a progressive loss of muscle control, eventually impairing walking, talking, eating, and breathing. There is no cure, only therapies to manage its progression. Medved noted his symptoms were atypical, attacking his voice first rather than his limbs.
Considered one of the fathers of Israel’s tech ecosystem, Medved founded OurCrowd in 2013, effectively inventing crowdsourced venture capital. The firm opened up access to venture deals for any accredited investor, building a global network that, according to the company, now includes 240,000 limited partners in 195 countries. OurCrowd has become a “significant player,” backing some 500 portfolio companies like Anthropic, Beyond Meat, and Lemonade, with 74 successful exits to date.
Now, the technology he helped nurture is becoming intensely personal. Medved has had a photorealistic digital avatar of himself created to preserve his voice, face, and mannerisms for when he can no longer speak. The system was designed by OurCrowd AI portfolio company D-ID in partnership with voice AI startup ElevenLabs. “So this stuff has become very, very personal to me,” Medved said. “It will preserve my voice when it goes.”
Despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Israel’s startup ecosystem—a legacy Medved helped build—remains resilient. He noted that in one week in November, “$800 million was invested in the Israeli venture ecosystem,” with annual estimates reaching between $15 billion and $16 billion.
Though he’s stepping back from running the company, Medved is not fading away. “I’m far from over, ok? I want to continue to contribute, both to OurCrowd and the overall ecosystem,” he stated defiantly. “I fully intend to not go off [quietly] into this good night.” The investor who once saw human pain from a distance is now on the front lines, demonstrating the profound and personal impact of the technological future he helped create.
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