ARGU, an Israeli AI startup based in Qiryat Shmona, has raised $2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun accelerator, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture firms.
ARGU was founded in 2024 by brothers Ido Deutsch and Shani Daniel, along with Lior Strugach, a veteran of an elite IDF technology unit.
The company has created a Vision AI system that lets users analyze live video feeds using natural language, with no model training needed. They call this technology “Vision Agents” — AI entities that can understand and respond to human instructions in real time, turning any camera network into an interactive intelligence system.
Today, ARGU’s technology is being used across four continents, supporting governments, intelligence agencies, and critical infrastructure operators.
Its customers work in homeland security, public safety, and large-scale enterprise analytics, where real-time video analysis helps organizations detect, respond to, and prevent incidents more effectively.
“Today, you can build apps and websites at the click of a button, but in the world of real-time video, we’re still stuck with outdated models limited to their training data,” he said. “ARGU bridges this gap by bringing the power and simplicity of AI agents directly to enterprise cameras, giving organizations a fully agentic experience to improve security, safety, and operational workflows.”
Being accepted into Andreessen Horowitz’s Speedrun accelerator, a program known for its highly selective admission, is a major milestone for ARGU.
The startup also shared that Andreessen Horowitz plans to take part in its next funding round, signaling strong confidence in the company’s growth.
Other investors in the funding round include the Port of Miami, Mekorot (Israel’s national water company), and several private investors and angel backers.
Deutsch said that the new funding will help ARGU grow in the U.S. market, but the company’s main development work will stay in Israel. “Patriotism is at the heart of everything we do,” he added.
ARGU’s founders have strong experience, having previously built and sold a video analytics company in 2020, which was an important factor in a16z’s decision to invest.
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