Michael Shmilov
About Michael Shmilov
Michael Shmilov is a product executive, advisor and entrepreneur based in Tel Aviv. He was a founding team member at Viber and led product as VP of Product. After Rakuten acquired Viber in 2014, he became COO, overseeing operations, monetization and strategy. His own site says he also served as Interim CEO for two years. Viber grew to more than 1B users.
He later co-founded ROX Financial, which works on technology-driven access to commercial real estate investments. ROX took part in the Citi Accelerator and raised funding from Citi and real estate firms. He then spent three years as VP of Product at PeerSpot, a B2B buying intelligence platform, where he applied AI to content, insight extraction and operations.
In early 2025 he wrote that he had stepped back from hands-on VP and CPO roles to focus on his own projects, advisory work and AI. He has advised startups through Techstars in Tel Aviv and Singapore. His recent advisory focus has been startups in Tel Aviv and Berlin.
His website says he has invested since 2015 across capital markets, angel investing and commercial real estate. He describes his startup investing as selective, in early-stage companies solving real-world problems with strong leadership teams. He says he sometimes joins fundraising rounds as an angel while advising founders.
The one round with a public date is Cyanite's seed round, announced in July 2022. Crunchbase lists 1 investment, 0 lead investments and 0 exits. His own site names four portfolio companies, so the Crunchbase count is likely incomplete.
Cyanite, a Berlin company building AI-powered music tagging and search, is his documented AI investment. The round was led by Oke Göttlich and Henning Thieß, and Shmilov joined as one of the additional investors. Press put the round at about €800,000.
He also builds AI ventures himself. EcoMoat is an AI research tool for analyzing company fundamentals and economic moats. Fluno AI focuses on customer and productivity automation. He describes his approach to AI as pragmatic, favoring efficiency and real-world impact over experimentation.
His public material points to early-stage startups, with product-led and AI companies as a recurring theme. Known holdings span music AI, proptech, mental health monitoring and mobility. He has recently worked with teams in Tel Aviv and Berlin. He has not published a check size, preferred round or fund size.
- Cyanite AI: AI-powered music search and tagging, Berlin. Seed round announced July 2022.
- Blanket: proptech solutions for real estate owners. Listed on his site, year not stated.
- Iluria: AI-powered remote patient monitoring for mental health. Listed on his site, year not stated.
- Juno: ride-sharing platform later acquired by Gett. Listed on his site, year not stated.
- crunchbase.com/person/michael-shmilov
- shmilov.com
- shmilov.com/investing
- shmilov.com/product-management-advisory
- shmilov.com/product-management-executive
- shmilov.com/ai-research
- shmilov.com/post/new-chapters-open-roads-an-update-on-my-journey
- cyanite.ai/2022/08/01/pr-cyanite-announces-new-investors-to-support-vi
Investing activity
Michael Shmilov has made 1 investment according to Crunchbase across 1 portfolio company, and has founded 2 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Michael Shmilov
Who is Michael Shmilov?
He is a Tel Aviv-based product executive and advisor. He was a founding team member and later COO of Viber, co-founded ROX Financial, and was VP of Product at PeerSpot.
What startups has Michael Shmilov invested in?
His website lists Cyanite AI, Blanket, Iluria and Juno. Cyanite's 2022 seed round is the only one with a public date. Crunchbase shows just one investment.
What stage does Michael Shmilov invest in?
He describes backing early-stage startups selectively. Cyanite was a seed round. He does not publish a stage rule.
What is Michael Shmilov's check size?
It is not public. He has not shared a check size or fund size.
What does Michael Shmilov look for in founders?
He says he looks for startups solving real-world problems with strong leadership teams. His advisory work centers on product-market fit, UX and go-to-market.
Should AI founders pitch Michael Shmilov?
He has backed AI companies such as Cyanite and builds AI products himself, and he favors practical, efficient AI. Founders with product, UX or go-to-market questions may find his operator background relevant. He is based in Tel Aviv and has recently worked with teams in Tel Aviv and Berlin.
Is Michael Shmilov an angel investor?
Yes. Michael Shmilov invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 1 investment.
Where is Michael Shmilov based?
Michael Shmilov is based in Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel.
How can founders reach Michael Shmilov?
Founders on Lounge can see Michael Shmilov's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Michael Shmilov to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.