Israeli Entrepreneur Balances Startup Growth with Four Young Children
Efrat Rappaport, a 36-year-old entrepreneur, is embarking on her second startup, June AI, while raising four children aged four months to five years. Her new venture, founded in late 2025, recently secured an unusually large $20 million pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by Time Ventures, the private investment fund of Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, with participation from tech heavyweights Michael Dell and George Kurtz. Rappaport previously co-founded Bonobo AI, which was acquired by Salesforce in 2019, and subsequently led Salesforce's Israeli development center with 700 employees from 2022 to 2024.
June AI aims to streamline the adoption of artificial intelligence in large enterprises. Rappaport explains that implementing enterprise systems like Salesforce can be prohibitively expensive, often costing six times the platform's price. June AI uses AI agents to customize these systems for clients, enabling faster and more successful AI integration. The company's unique approach involves deep scanning of existing systems to identify areas for AI enhancement, guided by a proprietary 'recipe' and AI agents.
Rappaport's ability to manage a demanding career alongside raising four young children is a central theme. She has integrated her youngest child into her work life, with a nursery room at the office and the baby accompanying her on business trips. Rappaport acknowledges that her ability to outsource non-child-related tasks, such as cooking and laundry, is a privilege that enables this demanding schedule. She emphasizes that while she has forgone leisure activities like Netflix, the drive to create and build is paramount.
Her previous venture, Bonobo AI, developed a transcription engine that significantly reduced costs. This prior success and Rappaport's continued relationship with Benioff were key factors in securing the new funding. Rappaport, who also has a background in Israel's Unit 8200 intelligence technology unit and advanced academic studies, views her entrepreneurial journey as a creative endeavor akin to an artist's pursuit of a wide audience. She plans to scale June AI to impact millions of businesses globally.