When Shani Zanescu arrived in Davos two years ago, she found herself less captivated by the swirl of panels and receptions than by the underlying patterns connecting the world’s crises.
Geopolitical shocks, extreme weather, social fragmentation, and economic instability: Each seemed to erupt from a different fault line, yet she saw a common thread.
“I realized I wanted to focus on resilience and technology,” she told The Jerusalem Post. “The world is changing faster than our systems can adapt. So I started mapping the challenges and the meeting points between them.”
That moment became the foundation of Universe Partners, an investment house dedicated to what Zanescu calls “resilience tech,” a field she believes will define the next decade of global innovation to prepare societies to withstand future challenges.
“We know it’s going to happen,” she explains. “So let’s prepare, de‑risk, and be efficient about it.”
The Universe Partners board reflects the scale of that ambition. It includes Philipp Rösler, Germany’s former vice chancellor and minister of economics and technology; Cameron Geiger, who previously led supply chain operations at Walmart; Dr. Laura Segafredo, who headed sustainable product and portfolio research at BlackRock; and Julia Diament, a senior figure in Microsoft’s CTO office and a former lieutenant colonel who led artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in the IDF’s unit 8200.
Additional members come from the World Economic Forum, and last year, Universe Partners announced a collaboration with the Clinton Global Initiative to build and invest in various technologies.
Zanescu herself brings a broad background to the table. Before entering the deep‑tech investment world, she spent a decade in foreign policy and national security roles across Israel, Europe, and the United States.
At Israel’s Defense Ministry, she led collaborations with the Benelux countries, the European Union, and NATO. She later headed the UK‑Israel Foreign Relations Department, overseeing bilateral cooperation in science, technology, and innovation at the British Consulate. Her military service also centred on foreign relations.
In the private sector, Zanescu has invested more than $100 million and managed roughly $400 million in deep‑tech assets through roles including venture partner at Jibe and investment manager at Consensus Business Group, a family office overseeing about $1 billion. She has served as chairwoman and board member for multiple companies and initiatives.
Alongside her professional work, she founded philanthropic organizations such as Israel’s Children’s Fund, which supports children orphaned by the October 7, 2023, attacks, and Plantech, which backs climate‑tech ventures.
Issues of national security
Universe Partners is now raising $20-$30 million in capital for 10-12 early-stage companies working on challenges that Zanescu believes will shape the next era of global stability. These include early prediction of earthquakes, supply‑chain vulnerabilities, tariff disruptions, and energy instability. She is also eager to invest in technologies that counter misinformation.
All of these, she describes, are “a matter of national security.”
Her goal is not only to fund these companies but to help them reach the scale required to make a global impact. “I want to bring these start-ups to the level they can achieve,” she says. “And connect them to the right people.”
Zanescu argues that resilience is better understood in the US and Europe than in Israel, where the term is often interpreted narrowly through a security lens.
Her vision is broader and more systemic. “Resilience tech isn’t about solving one issue,” she explains. “It strengthens many layers of society, and even future issues we haven’t encountered yet.”
She believes that the past five years have been a preview of what’s coming.
“Everything that happened will continue to happen, but at a much faster pace,” she says. “We have predictions, especially around extreme weather. We don’t have the privilege of taking our time. We know what’s coming, so let’s not be surprised.”
Zanescu also sees an opportunity to expand Israel’s innovation ecosystem outward, particularly toward Abraham Accords countries facing acute challenges in energy and food security.
Other venture capital firms, she notes, are beginning to acknowledge that the only constant is change. But she believes resilience tech will soon become a category of its own, one that governments, corporations, and investors will increasingly prioritize.
Zanescu’s message is ultimately pragmatic rather than alarmist. “Instead of being afraid of change, let’s handle it,” she says. “Let’s make sure society can withstand what’s coming.”