{"id":97876,"date":"2026-02-22T04:58:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T07:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/894500490"},"modified":"2026-02-22T04:58:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T07:58:22","slug":"investor-shani-zanescu-launches-resilience-tech-push-amid-global-instability-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/22\/investor-shani-zanescu-launches-resilience-tech-push-amid-global-instability-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Investor Shani Zanescu launches resilience tech push amid global instability – interview"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

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\u2019s crises.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Geopolitical shocks, extreme weather, social fragmentation, and economic instability: Each seemed to erupt from a different fault line, yet she saw a common thread.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

<\/section>\n
\n

\u201cI realized I wanted to focus on resilience and technology<\/a>,\u201d she told The Jerusalem Post<\/em>. \u201cThe world is changing faster than our systems can adapt. So I started mapping the challenges and the meeting points between them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

<\/section>\n
\n

That moment became the foundation of Universe Partners, an investment house dedicated to what Zanescu calls \u201cresilience tech,\u201d a field she believes will define the next decade of global innovation to prepare societies to withstand future challenges.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

\u201cWe know it\u2019s going to happen,\u201d she explains. \u201cSo let\u2019s prepare, de\u2011risk, and be efficient about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

<\/section>\n
\n

The Universe Partners board reflects the scale of that ambition. It includes Philipp R\u00f6sler, Germany\u2019s 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\u2019s CTO office and a former lieutenant colonel who led artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in the IDF\u2019s unit 8200<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n
\n
\"Shani
Shani Zanescu, founder and general partner at Universe Partners (credit: Yuri Vaslov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n
\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Zanescu herself brings a broad background to the table. Before entering the deep\u2011tech<\/a> investment world, she spent a decade in foreign policy and national security roles across Israel, Europe, and the United States.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

<\/section>\n
\n

At Israel\u2019s Defense Ministry, she led collaborations with the Benelux countries, the European Union, and NATO. She later headed the UK\u2011Israel Foreign Relations Department, overseeing bilateral cooperation in science, technology, and innovation at the British Consulate. Her military service also centred on foreign relations.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

In the private sector, Zanescu has invested more than $100 million and managed roughly $400 million in deep\u2011tech 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.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Alongside her professional work, she founded philanthropic organizations such as Israel\u2019s Children\u2019s Fund, which supports children orphaned by the October 7, 2023, attacks, and Plantech, which backs climate\u2011tech ventures.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

Issues of national security <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n

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\u2011chain vulnerabilities, tariff disruptions, and energy instability. She is also eager to invest in technologies that counter misinformation.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

All of these, she describes, are \u201ca matter of national security.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Her goal is not only to fund these companies but to help them reach the scale required to make a global impact. \u201cI want to bring these start-ups to the level they can achieve,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd connect them to the right people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Her vision is broader and more systemic. \u201cResilience tech isn\u2019t about solving one issue,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt strengthens many layers of society, and even future issues we haven\u2019t encountered yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

She believes that the past five years have been a preview of what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

\u201cEverything that happened will continue to happen, but at a much faster pace,\u201d she says. \u201cWe have predictions, especially around extreme weather. We don\u2019t have the privilege of taking our time. We know what\u2019s coming, so let\u2019s not be surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Zanescu also sees an opportunity to expand Israel\u2019s innovation ecosystem outward, particularly toward Abraham Accords countries facing acute challenges in energy and food security.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\n

Zanescu\u2019s message is ultimately pragmatic rather than alarmist. \u201cInstead of being afraid of change, let\u2019s handle it,\u201d she says. \u201cLet\u2019s make sure society can withstand what\u2019s coming.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

<\/a><\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… bilateral cooperation in science, technology<\/span>, and innovation at the … $400 million in deep\u00e2\u0080\u0091tech<\/span> assets through roles including … Plantech, which backs climate\u00e2\u0080\u0091tech<\/span> ventures.Issues of national security … But she believes resilience tech<\/span> will soon become a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}