Pereg Ventures is lead by Itzhak Fisher, Nielsen’s executive vice president of global business development, and Claudia Iannazzo, a former mergers and acquisition attorney who has facilitated deals worth $10bn.

Nielsen is the fund’s anchor investor – although its investment commitment is conditional on Pereg hitting its $25m target. Nielsen CEO David Calhoun called the investment “a natural next step in Nielsen’s innovation continuum”.

According to Iannazzo, Pereg fills a “void” in the early-stage funding cycle – “Before significant expansion capital is required but after ventures have already attracted their initial seed investment,” she said.

Pereg hopes to have the required fund commitments in place by the end of the first half of 2013.