Tel Aviv AI Lab WhiteSage Launches With $20M to Acquire and Transform Legacy Enterprises
WhiteSage, a Tel Aviv-based AI research lab backed by Aleph VC, has launched with $20 million to acquire traditional businesses and rebuild them using artificial intelligence.
A new Tel Aviv-based AI research lab and investment venture, WhiteSage, has emerged from stealth mode with $20 million in backing from Aleph VC partners Michael Eisenberg and Eden Shochat. Founded in mid-2026 by Asaf Gilboa-Amir, Liran Tam, and Matan Guetta, the firm aims to redefine private equity by acquiring traditional businesses and rebuilding them from the ground up using advanced artificial intelligence.
WhiteSage operates at the intersection of rigorous AI research and corporate acquisition. The lab employs 15 specialists split between Tel Aviv—focusing on technological research and challenging conventional models—and the US East Coast, driving market integration and deployment. Rather than building startups from scratch, which the founders view as too slow for the current technological landscape, WhiteSage targets existing enterprises that already possess established client relationships, proprietary data, and market distribution.
A Three-Tiered Operational Model
The venture pursues three distinct strategic avenues to maximize the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence across traditional industries:
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Acquiring existing enterprises with established assets and injecting deep AI capabilities into their core operations.
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Establishing strategic partnerships with incumbent market players to jointly develop automated business models.
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Launching new ventures from scratch only as a last resort when no suitable acquisition target exists.
Since its inception, WhiteSage has evaluated approximately 14 investment theses across sectors such as agriculture, insurance, and qualitative research. Having refined deep operational insights in three specific industries, the lab is preparing to evaluate its first US acquisition targets in the coming weeks while simultaneously expanding its Tel Aviv research team.
Rethinking Business Models Through Technology
Leadership brings elite industry backgrounds to the venture. CEO Asaf Gilboa-Amir previously led research at hedge fund giant Bridgewater and served on the founding team of Amazon Prime Air. Chief Technology and Science Officer Liran Tam brings extensive R&D experience from Simply and Soluto, while Chief Investment Officer Matan Guetta leads US acquisition activities from New York.
By combining technical research with rigorous financial assessment, WhiteSage seeks to identify the exact technological thresholds that justify major corporate restructuring. The lab's ultimate objective is to prove that the next wave of industry giants will not emerge solely from greenfield startups, but from legacy businesses fundamentally transformed from within by artificial intelligence.
