Entrepreneur Dovi Frances was never formally invited to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, he confirmed on Tuesday while speaking at the Negev Conference 2026 at the Dimona Cultural Center.
"Yesterday I called the prime minister’s spokesman and got angry. How could they have offered me a reserved spot and I didn’t know about it? So the answer is no, I was not offered a reserved spot. A canard," he said.
Frances, co-founder and managing partner of Group 11 Shark Tank Israel star, did express interest in entering the political arena, saying he has “not yet finished [his] mission.”
“By the way, I think I am making a dramatic impact on Israel even from the business side, because in the end, the startup companies that we also give money to and help grow become category-defining companies that drive the Israeli economy forward."
'I will set my sights on the position of prime minister'
Frances has been the prime minister’s advisor on artificial intelligence since 2024. He also co-founded Israel’s national AI advancement center and partnered with Avner Netanyahu to launch the defense-tech venture, The Umbrella Corporation.
“I feel committed to the hundreds of investors of mine who gave me billions of shekels, and to the entrepreneurs I work with, to help bring them to safety,” Frances said.
“Once I have done that, there is a pretty good chance that I will run for political office, and I will set my sights on the position of prime minister."