Mobile gaming entrepreneur and INSEAD-alumni Eyal Rabinovich has joined Octopus Ventures, the London-based venture capital investor best known for backing Zoopla Property Group, Secret Escapes, SwiftKey and graze.com.
Eyal brings 13 years of technology industry experience to the role, having co-founded the Israeli-based data-driven games publisher PlayScape. Eyal’s appointment comes just weeks after the news that Octopus has raised an additional GBP100 million, of which they plan to invest GBP75 million into early stage European entrepreneurs over the coming year.
Having co-founded PlayScape in 2008 at the age of 24, Eyal and two other co-founders grew the business to 40 employees, with 70 million users across more than 25 countries. During this time PlayScape raised more than $16 million from global investors and as VP for Business Affairs, was responsible for establishing strategic partnerships with the likes of Google, Amazon, NTT DoCoMo and Orange, as well as managing digital marketing and business development activities.
Alex Macpherson, head of Octopus Ventures, says: “As the European entrepreneurial market continues to develop, we think the role of investors in supporting a business throughout its growth journey will be crucial. It’s great to have Eyal on board and we look forward to benefiting from his hands-on entrepreneurial experience as we look to identify and support the people building impressive businesses.”
Rabinovich says: “I am pleased to be joining the Octopus Ventures team and am looking forward to being part of the London and European technology ecosystem, while keeping an eye on the Israeli startup scene. The developments in recent years, particularly in the UK, have been significant in terms of access to funding, business support and entrepreneurial ambition. I’m excited to now have the opportunity to use my technology experience to help support others as they build the businesses of the future.”
