Mubi issue statement after backlash over investor ties to Israeli defence start-up
Film streaming platform Mubi have released a statement after considerable backlash over their investor ties to a notorious Israeli defence start-up.
Mubi has been at the centre of a large online debate about the conflict in Gaza. Film Workers for Palestine said it was “horrified” by Mubi’s decision, as their new investor, Sequoia, is directly linked to an Israeli defence start-up. After the group demanded Mubi “return the investment”, the company has released its own statement on social media.
Mubi’s statement begins retrospectively, stating, “Since our founding, MUBI has raised money from a number of sources to help us grow. Our decision to work with outside investors has always served one purpose: to accelerate our mission of delivering bold and visionary films to global audiences.”
Looking now to the present day, the statement continued, “This was the rationale behind our recent partnership with the venture firm Sequoia Capital. Sequoia has a 50-plus year history of partnering with founders to help turn their ideas into world-changing businesses.”
The streaming service then gestured to Sequoia’s other investments, which span a range of founders, industries, and geographies. According to the statement, the firm and our Sequoia Partner Andrew Reed chose to partner “because the firm and we support MUBI’s mission and want to help us scale and bring great cinema to even more people around the world”.
They explain simply that “some members of our community have commented on the decision to work with Sequoia given their investment in Israeli companies and the personal opinions expressed by one of their partners.” However, the statement clarifies that “the beliefs of individual investors do not reflect the views of MUBI.”
Sequoia reportedly has close ties to defence-tech startup Kela. Kela was founded in 2024 by a group of Israeli intelligence veterans explicitly following the Hamas attacks of October 7th. Kela is allegedly developing a battlefield operating system that will allow military units to integrate AI and commercial tech.
With no clear reference to the military work behind the scenes, the short post concludes by reiterating that the company takes feedback from its community “very seriously and is steadfast in remaining an independent founder-led company.”
In Novemeber 2024, Mubi were praised for cancelling their film festival in Turkey after the government announced a ban on the opening movie, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer. Their usual left-leaning means this investment has come as a surprise to many.
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